Sandstone Rainbow Trout Trucker Hat
by @sunny
Red rock above, rainbows holding below.
A trucker hat design of rainbow trout under red sandstone walls, split at the waterline, for days spent on canyon rivers.
Rainbow trout hold in green river water beneath red sandstone canyon walls, shown in a split view above and below the surface. The scene is coloured in brick red, sandstone tan, emerald and rose pink, with a second pair of trout swimming through the lower panel.
- Rainbow trout beneath red canyon walls
- Split view above and below the waterline
- Rose pink stripes on emerald water
- Juniper trees on the sandstone rim
- A second pair of trout below
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
Red canyon walls rise on both sides, with junipers clinging to the ledges. Below a bright line of water, a big rainbow trout faces into the current, a smaller fish trailing behind it. Underneath, two more trout slide over olive stones through swirls of emerald.
It reads well from across a boat ramp or a gravel bar: the red rock catches the eye first, then the rose pink stripes. Wear it on a canyon float, a desert tailout or a slow morning at camp, and people will lean in to count the fish.
Waterline masking is the part to get right. Cut that edge clean and lay the emerald band just under it, so the rock world above and the green world below meet in one sharp, bright line.
The water it was painted from
Green RiverFlaming Gorge, Northeast Utah · UT
- River
- Green River, Flaming Gorge, Northeast Utah
- States
- UT
- Fish
- Rainbow trout, Brown 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
- sky haze, brick red, sandstone tan, juniper green, deep river green, emerald, olive, cream, rose pink, charcoal
Details
- Subject
- rainbow trout
- Style
- painterly split-view river scene
Make it yourself
The palette
- Sky haze
- Brick red
- Sandstone tan
- Juniper green
- Deep river green
- Emerald
- Olive
- Cream
- Rose pink
- Charcoal
The layers
11 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Sky
- Canyon walls
- Sunlit rock
- Junipers
- River
- Current
- Riverbed
- Trout bodies
- Red band
- Spots and eyes
- 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
Sky haze
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Brick red
Primary red from the bottle; a drop of yellow warms it, a drop of blue cools it
Sandstone tan
3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
Juniper green
1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool one
Deep river green
1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool one
Emerald
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Olive
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Cream
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
Rose pink
1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
Charcoal
1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
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
sky haze — a pale band across the top above the canyon rim
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Sky haze — 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 · Canyon walls — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
brick red — tall cliffs closing in from both sides
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.
3 · Sunlit rock — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sandstone tan — ledges, stacked layers and lit cliff faces
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sandstone tan — 3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part 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.
4 · Junipers — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
juniper green — small trees along the rim and on the ledges
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Juniper green — 1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool one
- 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
deep river green — the underwater field below the waterline
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Deep river green — 1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool one
- 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 · Current — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
emerald — swirling light in the water and the bright waterline band
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Emerald — 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.
7 · Riverbed — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
olive — rounded stones along the bottom and shaded trout backs
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.
8 · Trout bodies — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
cream — the large trout, the smaller fish behind it and the pair below
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Cream — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
- 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 · Red band — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rose pink — the lateral stripes and gill plates
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rose pink — 1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
- 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 · Spots and eyes — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
charcoal — speckles, eyes, fin edges and cracks in the rock
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.
11 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
sky haze — glints on the scales, the water surface and stone tops
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Sky haze — 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 canyon outline and spray sky haze across the top band. Starting point: 0.35 mm needle, 20–22 PSI, 10–15 cm away. Adjust to your paint and surface.
Mask the sky and spray brick red over both canyon walls, building colour in light passes from about 12 cm with the 0.35 mm needle at 20 PSI.
Use a ledge stencil and spray sandstone tan on the lit faces and stacked layers, closing to 6–8 cm at 18 PSI with a 0.2 mm needle for crisp edges.
Freehand or stencil the junipers in juniper green along the rim, 0.2 mm needle, 15–18 PSI, 3–5 cm away. Keep each tree small and dark.
Mask above the waterline and fill the underwater field with deep river green, 0.5 mm needle, 22–25 PSI, 12–15 cm, in even overlapping passes.
Spray emerald swirls through the water and lay the bright waterline band just below the mask edge, 0.35 mm needle, 18 PSI, 6–10 cm.
Stencil the riverbed stones and spray olive, then mist olive along the trout backs once their masks are cut. 0.35 mm, 18–20 PSI, 8 cm.
Mask the trout bodies and spray cream for the large fish, the smaller fish and the lower pair. 0.35 mm needle, 18 PSI, 8–10 cm.
Spray rose pink along each lateral stripe and gill plate with a 0.2 mm needle at 15 PSI from 3–4 cm, letting the edges soften.
Add charcoal speckles, eyes, fin edges and rock cracks with the 0.2 mm needle at 12–15 PSI, 2–3 cm away. Dot rather than drag.
Finish with sky haze glints on scales, the water surface and stone tops, 0.2 mm needle, 12–15 PSI, 2–3 cm.
Let the paint cure fully per the paint maker's guidance, then heat set if your paint calls for it.
Seal with a thin, even coat of a compatible clear topcoat and let it cure before wearing.
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 deep river green so it creeps under the waterline mask. Burnish the mask edge and spray light, dry passes.
- Spraying the rose pink stripes too wide. Keep the needle close and the pressure low, and stop short of the tail.
- Peeling masks while paint is wet, which smears the canyon edges. Let each layer touch-dry before lifting.
- Overdoing the highlights until the trout look wet plastic. A few small sky haze glints are enough.
Tips
- Cut the waterline mask from one clean piece so the split between rock and river stays perfectly level.
- Build brick red in thin layers; a little sandstone tan misted over the top gives the cliffs their sun-warmed glow.
- Spray the spots on the trout backs denser than on the bellies, the way real speckling thins out low on the fish.
- Test the rose pink on a scrap first; a soft stripe looks more alive than a hard-edged one.
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 — 11 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.
- rainbow trout
- trout
- canyon
- red rock
- sandstone
- river
- underwater
- split view
- juniper
- fly fishing
- trucker hat
- green water