Bluffside Brown Trout Trucker Hat
by @john
A golden fish under the bluffs.
A realistic brown trout swimming a teal river beneath grey bluffs and green banks, framed in a cream oval, for days on the water.
A brown trout cruises a teal river below grey bluffs and green wooded banks. The fish glows golden ochre with charcoal spots, set on a cream oval above olive mossy stones.
- Brown trout with golden ochre flank
- Teal river below grey bluffs
- Green wooded banks on both sides
- Olive mossy stones along the near bank
- Framed in a soft cream oval
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 brown trout hangs in teal water, golden flank and dark spots, nose upstream. Behind it, green banks climb to pale grey bluffs. In front, olive stones and weeds crowd the near edge.
It wears well on a river morning, at the boat ramp or at the fly shop counter. People see the fish first, then the cliffs, then lean in to count the spots.
Umber shading along the trout's back gives the fish its weight. Keep it soft and let it fade into the golden ochre flank, so the body looks round.
The water it was painted from
White RiverOzarks, North Arkansas · AR
- River
- White River, Ozarks, North Arkansas
- States
- AR
- Fish
- Brown trout, Rainbow trout, Cutthroat 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
- cream, sky grey, forest green, teal, olive, golden ochre, umber, charcoal, white
Details
- Subject
- brown trout
- Style
- realistic painted river scene
Make it yourself
The palette
- Cream
- Sky grey
- Forest green
- Teal
- Olive
- Golden ochre
- Umber
- Charcoal
- White
The layers
9 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Ground
- Far bluffs
- Treeline
- River
- Stones and weeds
- Trout body
- Shading
- Spots and line
- 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
Cream
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
Sky grey
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Forest green
2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
Teal
2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift it
Olive
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Golden ochre
2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
Umber
Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
Charcoal
1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
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
cream — the soft oval that frames the whole scene and fades out at the edges
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Cream — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
- 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 · Far bluffs — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sky grey — hazy cliffs and pale sky behind the treeline
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sky grey — 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 · Treeline — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
forest green — wooded banks rising on both sides of the river
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.
4 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
teal — the band of water running across the middle
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 · Stones and weeds — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
olive — mossy rocks and grasses along the near bank
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Olive — 2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm 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.
6 · Trout body — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
golden ochre — the fish's flank, belly and fins
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.
7 · Shading — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
umber — the trout's dark back, fin edges and shadows between stones
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Umber — Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
- 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 · Spots and line — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
charcoal — the trout's spots, eye, gill line and outlines
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Charcoal — 1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
- 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 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
white — ripples on the water, light on the stones, the glint in the eye
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
Mask the oval with a soft-edge stencil. Spray cream at about 20 PSI with a 0.5 mm needle from 15 cm, fading the edges. These settings are a starting point; test on scrap first.
Mask the sky area. Mist sky grey for the bluffs at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm, letting the tops dissolve into haze.
Use a torn-edge stencil for the treeline. Build forest green in light passes at 18 PSI, 0.3 mm, 8–10 cm, darker at the base of the banks.
Mask the river band. Lay teal at 18 PSI, 0.3 mm, 10 cm, slightly deeper near the banks.
Stencil the near bank. Spray olive stones and weed blades at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm, 5–8 cm.
Mask the trout silhouette. Fill golden ochre at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm, 8 cm, two even coats.
With the trout mask still on, shade the back and fin edges in umber at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm, 5 cm. Add umber shadows between stones.
Use a spot stencil and freehand. Spray charcoal spots, eye and gill line at 10 PSI, 0.2 mm, 2–3 cm.
Add white highlights for ripples, stone tops and the eye glint at 10 PSI, 0.2 mm, 2–3 cm.
Let the paint dry fully, then heat-set following your paint maker's guidance.
Seal with a thin, even coat of clear fabric sealer and let it cure before wear.
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
- Spraying teal too heavily makes the river flat. Use light passes and darken only near the banks.
- Spots placed in rows look stiff. Scatter them loosely and keep some off the belly.
- Umber spraying too close causes spidering. Drop pressure and keep a steady 5 cm.
- Sealing before paint is cured traps tack. Wait the full dry time before sealing.
Tips
- Keep the trout mask in place through the umber pass so shading never drifts onto the water.
- Vary spot sizes, smaller toward the tail, so the fish looks natural.
- Build greens in thin layers; three light passes read deeper than one heavy one.
- Leave a little cream showing through the bluffs to keep the far distance hazy.
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 — 9 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
1 save
8 — from 1 save, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- brown trout
- trout
- fly fishing
- river
- bluffs
- trucker hat
- realistic
- teal
- golden
- forest
- mossy stones
- fishing hat