[Natsu]

If you've never used them, there is something I have realized about custom brushes. It may not work for you, but maybe someone's interested.

I had my photoshop CS and seldom used the custom brushes, not even the ones that came by default with photoshop: they looked "unnatural" to me. I just use the defined circle and the "blurred edges" circle, and sometimes use the leaf brush... but I use it so that the leaf shape can never be seen in the result, only to make geometric textures.

Looking through photoshop websites, I started to know about customb brushes, and to download them. Lots. And tried to use them, seeing their creators had such talent. It was no use, so I forgot about them.

Until I was stuck with a cloudy sky, and ended up making my own custom brushes. And that was a whole new world.

I don't know if what works for me will work for others, but I think the "custom" really work when it's real custom, I mean when you do them yourself to satisfy a necessity you have. I have a long list of brushes with weird shapes that I can do nothing with for the sole reason that I don't know what the creator used them for. Mine, I very well control.

So, on the topic of custom brushes, I would recommend people to experiment with their own brushes. In the end, no one knows your necessities half as well as you do. When you are stuck at a certain drawing, think "would this be easier with another brush shape?" If the answer's yes, start making your own brushes. I rarely use custom brushes, but when I do, they save the whole drawing. My marble floors, clouds, ink-writings, feathers and stone floors were impossible to finish without my customized brushes. But I never had any use for other people's brushes, (save the photoshop leaf).

Of course, every person is their own world. I bet there's lots of people who can find good uses to any brush they find. I haven't been able to.