Redrock Jumping Trout Trucker Hat

She stays still. The trout does not.

A scenic red rock river in terracotta, turquoise and mustard gold, with a woman watching a trout leap, for days on the water and off it.

A woman in a mustard gold shawl kneels on a riverbank while a trout leaps from turquoise water below red rock walls. The scene is coloured in terracotta, turquoise, olive green and mustard gold, with white splash where the fish breaks the surface.

Trout leaping from turquoise water
Terracotta red rock walls and buttes
Woman in a mustard gold shawl
Olive green ground, pale blue sky
White splash and river ripples

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

A cloth tape measure around the crown of a blank cap

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 turquoise river bends between terracotta cliffs under a pale blue sky. On the near bank a woman with long black hair sits wrapped in mustard gold, hands folded. Just upstream a bronze trout clears the water in a burst of white spray.

It reads well from across a boat ramp or a café table: the red walls and the bright water catch the eye first, then the fish, then the woman. It sits easy with river clothes, desert dust and a canvas jacket.

Turquoise over olive green is the layer to get right. Build it in thin passes so the river stays clear and bright, and let the olive show at the edges where the banks meet the water.

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

A cap being spot-cleaned with a soft brush

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: olive green, sky blue, terracotta, forest green, turquoise, sand, mustard gold, bronze, black, white

Details

Subject: woman watching a leaping trout on a red rock river
Style: scenic painterly illustration

Make it yourself

A hat-painting bench with a blank cap, stencils and an airbrush

AdvancedAbout 4½ hours at the bench, plus curing10 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 10 colours

The palette

Olive green
Sky blue
Terracotta
Forest green
Turquoise
Sand
Mustard gold
Bronze
Black
White

The layers

10 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.

Ground
Sky
Cliffs
Banks
River
Sand
Shawl
Trout
Dark detail
Highlights

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

Olive green
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Sky blue
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Terracotta
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Forest green
2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
Turquoise
1 part blue, 1 part green, 2 parts white; a drop of yellow if it looks too cold
Sand
4 parts white, 1 part yellow, a drop of brown; a drop of green for khaki
Mustard gold
3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
Bronze
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Black
Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
White
Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one

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
olive green — the base field across the whole panel
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Olive green — 2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm 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 · Sky — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sky blue — a pale sky with soft cloud along the top
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sky blue — 1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
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 · Cliffs — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
terracotta — red rock walls and buttes on both sides of the river, plus the ledge at front right
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Terracotta — 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.
4 · Banks — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
forest green — scrub and trees along the water, and the woman's sleeves
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Forest green — 2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool 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 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
turquoise — the river winding from the far bend to the front edge
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Turquoise — 1 part blue, 1 part green, 2 parts white; a drop of yellow if it looks too cold
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 · Sand — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sand — the near bank, the woman's face and hands, sunlit rock faces
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sand — 4 parts white, 1 part yellow, a drop of brown; a drop of green for khaki
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 · Shawl — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
mustard gold — the woman's draped shawl and skirt
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Mustard gold — 3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
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 · Trout — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
bronze — the body of the leaping trout
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Bronze — Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
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.
9 · Dark detail — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
black — the woman's long hair, trout spots, cliff shadows
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Black — Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
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.
10 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
white — the splash, ripples, cloud edges and the shine on the water
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour White — Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
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

Clean and dry the front panel, then mask off everything outside the artwork area. Settings below are a starting point; test on scrap first.
Full-panel mask: spray olive green as the base field, 20–25 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 15–20 cm away, two light coats.
Sky mask: sky blue across the top band, 15–20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10–15 cm. Fade it softly downward into the cliff line.
Cliff mask: terracotta on the rock walls, buttes and front-right ledge, 15–20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8–12 cm. Go heavier on the near walls.
Bank mask: forest green on scrub, trees and the woman's sleeves, 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 6–10 cm, with short dabbing passes for texture.
River mask: turquoise from the far bend to the front edge, 15–18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm, in three thin passes.
Skin and sand mask: sand on the near bank, face, hands and sunlit rock faces, 12–15 PSI, 0.2–0.3 mm needle, 5–8 cm.
Shawl mask: mustard gold on the draped shawl and skirt, 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 6–8 cm. Leave lighter folds by spraying less there.
Trout mask: bronze on the fish body, 12–15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Detail mask: black for hair, trout spots and cliff shadows, 10–12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3–5 cm, freehand lines through the hair.
Highlight mask: white for the splash, ripples, cloud edges and water shine, 10–12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3–5 cm, in small flicks.
Let the panel cure at least 24 hours at room temperature, away from dust.
Seal with two light coats of a flexible clear fabric sealer, letting each dry fully 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

Flooding the turquoise in one coat turns it muddy over the olive; build it in thin passes and let each flash off.
Spraying the face too close makes it blotchy; back off to 8 cm and lower the pressure.
Lifting masks before paint is touch-dry tears edges; wait a few minutes between layers.
Skipping the cure before sealing traps moisture; give it the full 24 hours.

Tips

Cut the woman and the trout as separate small masks so you can reposition them without lifting the river layer.
Keep the far canyon walls lighter than the near ones; that small shift gives the scene its depth.
Spray the white splash last and sparingly; a few bright flicks look like moving water.
Thin the black slightly for hair so strands stay fine and do not blob.

An airbrush, compressor, moisture trap, six colour bottles and a cleaning pot. — The kit

Every kit size

Trucker · kit for 1 hat

$229

Bought separately $255 · you save $26

Includes Starter airbrush set · Cap jig · and 7 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Blanks

Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$91

Stencils

Pre-cut mylar stencil set for this design — 10 layers$181

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 2 oz — one per colour in this design$482 oz × 8
Transparent base and reducer, 4 oz$71
Low-tack masking film and ¼ in tape$81
Matte fabric sealer, 4 oz$121

Equipment

Starter airbrush set — 0.3 mm dual-action gravity brush, mini compressor, braided hose$1291
Cap jig — holds the crown taut while you spray$241

Guide

Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded1

Trucker · kit for 12 hats

$1,085

$90.42 a hat

Bought separately $1,234 · you save $149

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$7812

Stencils

Desktop stencil cutter, 12 in — the "stencil printer": cuts mylar from this design's layer files$2991
Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$2210 sheets
This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included1

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 4 oz — one per colour in this design$1124 oz × 8
Transparent base and reducer, 16 oz$161
Low-tack masking film$181 roll
Matte fabric sealer, 16 oz$281

Equipment

Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush, 0.3 mm$1351
Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap$1791
Cap jig and two spare crown forms$641
Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan$1491
Cleaning pot, brushes and a half-mask respirator$991
Heat gun for curing$351

Guide

Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded1

Trucker · kit for 12 × 12 hats

$3,165

$21.98 a hat

Bought separately $3,724 · you save $559

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$756144

Stencils

Stencil cutter-plotter, 24 in — the production "stencil printer"$6491
Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$8550 sheets
This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included1

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 32 oz — one per colour in this design$38432 oz × 8
Transparent base and reducer$491 gal
Low-tack masking film$543 rolls
Matte fabric sealer$891 gal

Equipment