West Branch Brown Trout Trucker
by @dekasso
Three browns holding in the cold run.
An illustrated underwater scene of three brown trout over river pebbles, in teal blue, golden ochre and burnt orange, for days on the water.
Three brown trout cruise low over a pebbled riverbed, with smaller fish fading into the teal water behind them. Golden ochre flanks, burnt orange bellies and ink black spots carry the scene, under a rippled pale grey surface.
- Three brown trout over a pebbled riverbed
- Golden ochre flanks, burnt orange bellies
- Ink black and brick red spotting
- Faded small fish in teal water
- Rippled surface line in pale sky grey
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
Three brown trout hang nose-first over a bed of rounded stones. Their flanks run gold to orange, peppered with black and brick red spots. Behind them, smaller fish drift in the blue, and the surface line wobbles just overhead.
Wear it to the river, the fly shop or the tailgate after. From across the parking lot it reads as warm gold on cool teal. Up close, people lean in to count the spots.
Spotting is the part to get right. Lay the brick red dots first and keep them sparse, then let the ink black spots crowd the backs and thin out toward the bellies, the way a real brown wears them.
The water it was painted from
West Branch of the DelawareCatskills · NY, PA
- River
- West Branch of the Delaware, Catskills
- States
- NY, PA
- Fish
- Brown trout, Rainbow trout
- Water type
- Tailwater
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
- pale sky grey, teal blue, sandstone, slate grey, golden ochre, burnt orange, brick red, ink black
Details
- Subject
- brown trout
- Style
- illustrated underwater scene
Make it yourself
The palette
- Pale sky grey
- Teal blue
- Sandstone
- Slate grey
- Golden ochre
- Burnt orange
- Brick red
- Ink black
The layers
10 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Sky
- Water
- Riverbed
- Stone shadows
- Distant fish
- Trout bodies
- Bellies and fins
- Red spots
- Dark spots and outlines
- 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
Pale sky grey
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Teal blue
2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift it
Sandstone
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Slate grey
White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
Golden ochre
2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
Burnt orange
1 part red to 2 parts yellow
Brick red
Primary red from the bottle; a drop of yellow warms it, a drop of blue cools it
Ink 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 · Sky — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
pale sky grey — a soft band above the waterline
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Pale sky grey — 1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
- 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 · Water — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
teal blue — a deep fade from the rippled surface line down to the riverbed
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Teal blue — 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.
3 · Riverbed — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sandstone — rounded pebbles across the bottom
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sandstone — 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 · Stone shadows — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
slate grey — the dark undersides and gaps between pebbles
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Slate grey — White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
- 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 · Distant fish — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
golden ochre — small faded fish swimming in the far water
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Golden ochre — 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
- 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.
6 · Trout bodies — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
golden ochre — three trout flanks, nose to tail
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Golden ochre — 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
- 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 · Bellies and fins — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
burnt orange — the warm belly glow, fins and tail edges
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Burnt orange — 1 part red to 2 parts yellow
- 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 · Red spots — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
brick red — scattered spots along each flank
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Brick red — Primary red from the bottle; a drop of yellow warms it, a drop of blue cools 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.
9 · Dark spots and outlines — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
ink black — the spotting, eyes, jaws and fin rays
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Ink 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
pale sky grey — glints on the surface ripples and along the backs
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Pale sky grey — 1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
- 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
Mask the upper band and spray pale sky grey at about 20 PSI with a 0.3 mm needle from 15 cm. Treat all settings here as a starting point and adjust to your paint and airbrush.
Cut the wavy surface-line mask and lay teal blue at 20–25 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 12–15 cm, building darker toward the bottom for depth.
Mask the riverbed and mist sandstone pebbles at 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm, leaving soft rounded shapes.
Use a loose pebble stencil to shade gaps and undersides with slate grey at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 8 cm.
Spray the distant fish freehand or with a small mask in thinned golden ochre at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 10 cm, kept faint so they sit back in the water.
Place the three trout body masks and fill with golden ochre at 18–20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm, slightly darker along the backs.
Cover the backs and spray burnt orange into the bellies, fins and tail edges at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 6–8 cm.
Dot the brick red spots through a spot stencil at 12–15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm, using short bursts.
Add ink black spots, eyes, jaws and fin rays at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3–5 cm, with fine control near the lines.
Finish with pale sky grey glints on the ripples and along each back at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Let the paint cure for at least 24 hours, heat-set if your paint calls for it, then seal with a thin, even clear coat in two light passes.
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
- Spotting too evenly makes the trout look stamped; vary size and spacing, with more spots up high.
- Spraying black too far away gives fuzzy halos; move in close and drop the pressure.
- Lifting masks before the paint sets smears edges; wait until each layer is dry to the touch.
- Letting orange creep onto the backs muddies the gold; cover the upper flanks before the belly pass.
Tips
- Spray a test fish on scrap first to settle how dark the gold should go before the orange.
- Keep the far fish thin and low-contrast so the three main trout pop forward.
- Rotate the spot stencil between fish so no two trout share the same pattern.
- Build teal blue in several light passes; one heavy coat flattens the sense of depth.
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$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$48
- 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
$1,085
$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$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$112
- 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
$3,165
$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$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$384
- 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
Remixes
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
trucker hat · made
0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- brown trout
- trout
- trucker hat
- fly fishing
- underwater
- river
- west branch
- pebbles
- teal
- golden
- fish art
- trout hat