Iridescent Owl Stonefly Trucker Hat
by @dekasso
Look twice. The stonefly looks back.
A trucker hat design of a bronze stonefly with an owl face in its thorax, ringed in violet and gold light over a teal spiral.
A stonefly crawls across a deep green field, and an owl's face stares out from the middle of its body. Bronze segments, cream feathers and amber eyes sit inside a violet and gold glow above a swirling teal spiral.
- Owl face hidden in a stonefly thorax
- Violet and amber gold halo
- Swirling teal spiral below the insect
- Bronze body on forest green
- Round amber owl eyes
The cap
One design, four caps. The front panel is what the paint or the dye sits on, so it changes the hat.
Trucker
The house cap — structured mid profile, foam-and-mesh back, snapback.
Specs
- Profile
- Mid profile
- Build
- 6-panel · Structured — buckram behind the front
- Crown
- 3½ in (8.9 cm)
- Visor
- Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)
- Closure
- Snapback
- Adjusts to
- 21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Natural cotton twill
- Sublimated on
- White polyester foam
Rope cap
Structured five-panel with a near-flat brim and a cord across it.
Specs
- Profile
- Mid-high profile
- Build
- 5-panel · Structured
- Crown
- 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Visor
- Near-flat, 2⅞ in (7.3 cm), contrast rope
- Closure
- Snapback
- Adjusts to
- 21½–23¾ in (54.5–60.5 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Stone cotton twill
- Sublimated on
- White polyester twill
Dad hat
Soft, low and unstructured — washed cotton with a strap back.
Specs
- Profile
- Low profile
- Build
- 6-panel · Unstructured — soft front
- Crown
- 3¼ in (8.3 cm)
- Visor
- Curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)
- Closure
- Strap back, brass buckle
- Adjusts to
- 21–23½ in (53.5–59.5 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Washed khaki cotton
- Sublimated on
- White polyester twill
Five-panel camp
Flat brim, low crown, packs flat in a vest pocket.
Specs
- Profile
- Low profile
- Build
- 5-panel · Unstructured
- Crown
- 3¼ in (8.3 cm)
- Visor
- Flat, 2½ in (6.4 cm)
- Closure
- Strap back, side-release clip
- Adjusts to
- 21½–23½ in (54.5–59.5 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Field olive nylon-cotton
- Sublimated on
- White polyester
Fit
| Cap | Profile | Crown height | Visor | Adjusts to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trucker | Mid profile | 3½ in (8.9 cm) | Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm) | 21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm) |
| Rope cap | Mid-high profile | 4 in (10.2 cm) | Near-flat, 2⅞ in (7.3 cm), contrast rope | 21½–23¾ in (54.5–60.5 cm) |
| Dad hat | Low profile | 3¼ in (8.3 cm) | Curved, 2¾ in (7 cm) | 21–23½ in (53.5–59.5 cm) |
| Five-panel camp | Low profile | 3¼ in (8.3 cm) | Flat, 2½ in (6.4 cm) | 21½–23½ in (54.5–59.5 cm) |
One size per cap. Run a tape around your head just above the ears, keeping it level — anything inside the range above will close on it.
Two finishes
The same design, made two ways. Pick one in the panel; the cap and the quantity are yours to choose too.
Hand airbrushed
$85 for one hat, on a trucker
Painted to order — would ship in about 2 weeks
How it is made
- How it is made
- Sprayed by hand through this design's own stencils, one layer at a time, each left to dry before the next mask goes down.
- How it looks
- Soft gradients and hand-cut stencil edges. Every cap is a little different.
- What it sits on
- On a natural cotton twill front.
- Durability and care
- Water-based paint, heat set and sealed. It takes rain and a season on a boat; spot clean with cool water, never a washing machine.
Sublimation printed
$32 for one hat, on a trucker
Printed to order — would ship in 5–7 business days
How it is made
- How it is made
- The design is printed in dye onto transfer paper, then pressed with heat so the dye soaks into the polyester fibres.
- How it looks
- Full colour edge to edge, and identical every time.
- What it sits on
- On a white polyester foam front — sublimation only takes on white polyester.
- Durability and care
- The dye is in the fibre, not on it, so it will not crack or peel. Gentle wash, air dry.
The artwork
A stonefly sprawls across forest green, legs bent, tails forked, antennae reaching. Where the thorax should be, an owl's face waits with round amber eyes. Violet and gold light flares around the whole insect, and below it a teal spiral turns like a whirlpool with an oil-slick sheen.
On the river bank it reads as a bug at first glance. Up close at the tailgate, people lean in and find the owl. The dark green keeps it quiet; the shimmer catches whatever light the morning brings.
Cream feather strokes in the owl face carry this piece. Lay them in short, curved flicks radiating out from the eyes, then let the black linework sit over them so the feathers and the insect segments read as one creature.
What arrives
- The hat
- A care card
- On a hand airbrushed hat, a numbered tag naming the water it was painted from, when the design names one
Looking after it
Hand airbrushed
- Spot clean with cool water and a soft brush. Never a washing machine.
- Keep it out of a hot car for long stretches — heat-set paint is tough, but a dashboard in July is not a test worth running.
- Reshape the brim by hand while damp.
Sublimation printed
- Spot clean, or gently hand wash in cool water. No bleach.
- Air dry. Do not iron the print.
- Reshape the brim by hand while damp.
- The dye is in the fibre, so the print will not crack or peel.
Details
Airbrush palette
- Colours
- forest green, violet, amber gold, teal, bronze, cream, black
Details
- Subject
- stonefly with an owl face
- Style
- surreal iridescent illustration
Make it yourself
The palette
- Forest green
- Violet
- Amber gold
- Teal
- Bronze
- Cream
- Black
The layers
10 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Ground
- Outer halo
- Inner halo
- Vortex
- Vortex sheen
- Vortex glints
- Insect
- Owl face
- Linework
- Eyes
The kit's stencil set is cut from these layers; with the cutter (12 hats and up) you cut your own from this design's layer files.
How to mix each colour
Forest green
2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
Violet
2 parts blue, 1 part red, a drop of white to keep it from going muddy
Amber gold
3 parts yellow, 1 part red, a drop of black to deepen it
Teal
2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift it
Bronze
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Cream
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
Black
Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
Setup
- Ventilation or a spray booth. Water-based paint still throws a fine mist, and you will be breathing it for hours.
- A half-mask respirator rated for paint mists. A dust mask is not one.
- A compressor with a moisture trap, set and tested on a card before you start: wet air spits water into the paint.
- Reducer and a cleaning pot within reach, so a clog is a ten-second fix instead of a ruined panel.
- Spray a test card for every colour before it touches the cap. Colour reads differently wet, dry and on twill.
Prep
- Lint-roll the front panel. Every fibre left on it prints as a speck in the paint.
- Mask the mesh, any seams you want clean and the whole visor, underside included, with low-tack tape and paper.
- Stretch the crown over the cap jig so the front panel is taut and curved the way it will be worn. Spraying a slack panel flat distorts the design when it is worn.
- Spray one light coat of transparent base so the colour sits on the fabric instead of soaking into it.
Layer by layer
1 · Ground — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
forest green — the deep field behind the whole design
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Forest green — 2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
- Needle
- 0.5 mm (a 0.35 mm works, it just takes longer)
- Pressure
- 25–30 PSI
- Distance
- 6–8 in from the panel
- Passes
- 3–4 light passes, building the colour
- Dry
- 10 minutes, or 60–90 seconds with a heat gun on low, before the next mask goes down
Tip Fade wet to dry and never lay one heavy coat: twill wicks paint sideways and the edge blooms.
2 · Outer halo — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
violet — a soft glow fanning out around the insect
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Violet — 2 parts blue, 1 part red, a drop of white to keep it from going muddy
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
3 · Inner halo — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
amber gold — warm light pressed close against the body, legs and tails
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Amber gold — 3 parts yellow, 1 part red, a drop of black to deepen it
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
4 · Vortex — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
teal — a swirling spiral of rings set below the insect
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Teal — 2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift it
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
5 · Vortex sheen — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
violet — thin oil-slick bands between the teal rings
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Violet — 2 parts blue, 1 part red, a drop of white to keep it from going muddy
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
6 · Vortex glints — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
amber gold — bright streaks that catch the turn of the spiral
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Amber gold — 3 parts yellow, 1 part red, a drop of black to deepen it
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
7 · Insect — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
bronze — the segmented abdomen, jointed legs, forked tails and antennae
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Bronze — Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
8 · Owl face — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
cream — the feathered facial disc set into the thorax
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Cream — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
9 · Linework — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
black — outlines, segment lines, feather strokes and pupils
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Black — Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
- Needle
- 0.3 mm
- Pressure
- 18–22 PSI
- Distance
- 3–4 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes per tone, light to dark
- Dry
- 10 minutes between tones
Tip Light tones first: a light colour over a dark one needs many coats, a dark one over a light one needs two.
10 · Eyes — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
amber gold — the owl's two round, staring eyes
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Amber gold — 3 parts yellow, 1 part red, a drop of black to deepen it
- Needle
- 0.2–0.3 mm
- Pressure
- 12–15 PSI
- Distance
- 1–2 in from the panel
- Passes
- Freehand, in short controlled strokes
- Dry
- 10 minutes, then check it before you cure
Tip Low pressure, close in and moving: stop the stroke before you release the trigger.
Step by step
Base field: no mask. Lay forest green in even passes at about 25 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 15–20 cm away. Treat all settings here as a starting point and adjust to your paint and airbrush.
Outer halo: mask the insect silhouette. Fade violet outward from the edges at about 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8–10 cm, keeping the outer edge soft.
Inner halo: same mask. Mist amber gold tight against the silhouette at about 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 5–7 cm, so the warm light hugs the legs and tails.
Vortex: cut a spiral mask for the lower area. Spray teal rings at about 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm, following the curve with steady wrist turns.
Vortex sheen: shift the spiral mask a few millimetres. Add thin violet bands between the teal at about 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Vortex glints: freehand short amber gold streaks along the outside of each turn at about 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3–4 cm.
Insect body: remove the silhouette mask and mask around it. Fill the abdomen, legs, tails and antennae in bronze at about 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 5 cm, darker at joints and segment edges.
Owl face: mask the facial disc in the thorax. Build cream feathers in short curved flicks at about 10–12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 2–3 cm.
Linework: freehand or detail stencil. Draw black outlines, segment lines, feather strokes and pupils at about 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 1–2 cm.
Eyes: mask two small circles. Fill amber gold at about 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 2 cm, then re-touch the black pupils and leave a tiny unpainted catchlight.
Cure: let the design rest at room temperature for 24 hours, then heat-set following your paint maker's directions.
Seal: mist two light coats of a flexible matte or satin topcoat at about 20 PSI, 15 cm, letting each coat flash off before the next.
Cure
- Heat set at 300°F / 150°C. Water-based textile paint is not wash-fast until it is heat set.
- Cap press: 3–5 minutes with a teflon sheet over the design.
- Or heat gun: 2–3 minutes per panel, keeping it moving 2–3 in off the fabric so it does not scorch.
- If you have neither, air cure for 72 hours before the cap touches water.
Seal
- Two light coats of matte fabric sealer, UV-resistant, from 8–10 in, 15 minutes apart.
- Leave it 24 hours before the cap is worn.
- Never a gloss sealer on cotton twill: it shines, cracks along the creases and looks like a sticker.
Clean-up
- Flush the brush with water, then airbrush cleaner, until it sprays clear.
- Strip the needle and wipe it toward the tip, never away from it.
- Never soak the brush body overnight.
Common mistakes
- Painting the owl too bold so it fights the insect. Keep cream values close to the bronze and let black linework join them.
- Hard edges on the halo. Pull back to 10 cm and lower pressure so the glow fades instead of stopping.
- Spidering black lines from too much paint at close range. Drop pressure and keep the airbrush moving.
- Sealing too soon. Wait the full cure time or the topcoat can cloud the fine feather detail.
Tips
- Practise the owl face on scrap first; the feather flicks and eye placement decide whether the hidden face reads.
- Keep the violet halo softer than the gold so the light seems to come from inside the insect.
- Rotate your work rather than your wrist when spraying the spiral, so every ring keeps the same width.
- Thin the bronze slightly for the abdomen and build segments in layers to get rounded, shiny plates.
Every kit size
Trucker · kit for 1 hat
$224
Bought separately $249 · you save $25
Includes Starter airbrush set · Cap jig · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Blanks
- Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$9
Stencils
- Pre-cut mylar stencil set for this design — 10 layers$18
Paint & masks
- Water-based textile airbrush colour, 2 oz — one per colour in this design$42
- Transparent base and reducer, 4 oz$7
- Low-tack masking film and ¼ in tape$8
- Matte fabric sealer, 4 oz$12
Equipment
- Starter airbrush set — 0.3 mm dual-action gravity brush, mini compressor, braided hose$129
- Cap jig — holds the crown taut while you spray$24
Guide
- Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded
Trucker · kit for 12 hats
$1,073
$89.42 a hat
Bought separately $1,220 · you save $147
Includes Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush · Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap · Cap jig and two spare crown forms · Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan · and 11 more
Every item in this kit · 15 items
Blanks
- Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$78
Stencils
- Desktop stencil cutter, 12 in — the "stencil printer": cuts mylar from this design's layer files$299
- Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$22
- This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included
Paint & masks
- Water-based textile airbrush colour, 4 oz — one per colour in this design$98
- Transparent base and reducer, 16 oz$16
- Low-tack masking film$18
- Matte fabric sealer, 16 oz$28
Equipment
- Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush, 0.3 mm$135
- Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap$179
- Cap jig and two spare crown forms$64
- Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan$149
- Cleaning pot, brushes and a half-mask respirator$99
- Heat gun for curing$35
Guide
- Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded
Trucker · kit for 12 × 12 hats
$3,124
$21.69 a hat
Bought separately $3,676 · you save $552
Includes Two dual-action gravity-feed airbrushes · Production airbrush · Twin-piston compressor with tank and two regulators · Production spray booth · and 13 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Blanks
- Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$756
Stencils
- Stencil cutter-plotter, 24 in — the production "stencil printer"$649
- Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$85
- This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included
Paint & masks
- Water-based textile airbrush colour, 32 oz — one per colour in this design$336
- Transparent base and reducer$49
- Low-tack masking film$54
- Matte fabric sealer$89
Equipment
- Two dual-action gravity-feed airbrushes, 0.3 mm$270
- Production airbrush, 0.5 mm, for base fades$95
- Twin-piston compressor with tank and two regulators$329
- Production spray booth, two fans$289
- Three cap jigs$192
- Cleaning station, respirator and spare cartridges$139
- Cap heat press for curing$279
- Drying rack, 24 caps$65
Guide
- Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded
The creator
How it was made
1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked
1 Saved
Remixes
Remixed from
- Iridescent Owl Stonefly Trucker Hatyou are here
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
“make it so the third body section where there is the head, then the section behind the head, and what is then the section behind the section behind the head... if you carefully look at this section it almost looks like the eyes of an owl... carefully sculpt into that section what is actually an owl but so it looks like they are one together the owl and the stone fly”
trucker hat · made
0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- stonefly
- owl
- trucker hat
- fly fishing
- iridescent
- surreal
- teal spiral
- forest green
- bronze
- insect art
- nymph