Sunlit Riffle Crawler

Slow legs, gold light, cold water

A stonefly nymph crawling over riverbed stones under amber light rays, a painted-realism trucker hat design for days spent by the creek.

A stonefly nymph climbs a speckled river stone while shafts of light slant down through the water above it. The scene is built from sand, amber and burnt umber, with charcoal legs and cream glints on wet pebbles.

Stonefly nymph crossing a speckled stone
Amber light rays fanning from above
Umber, ochre and sage riverbed pebbles
Cream glints on wet stones
Seven colour layers, sand to cream

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 stonefly nymph picks its way over a freckled stone, two tails trailing and antennae reaching ahead. Amber light falls in long rays from the surface. Below it, smooth pebbles in umber, ochre and a little sage pile up like a creek bottom at low water.

It sits right on the riverbank or at the fly shop counter. Anglers will see the bug first and the light second. Everyone else sees warm stones and sunshine through water, which is a fine thing to wear on a cool morning.

Charcoal detail carries the whole insect. Keep the legs and tails thin and crisp, and leave the segment edges open for the cream highlights so the body reads as jointed and wet.

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: sand, amber, burnt umber, ochre, sage, charcoal, cream

Details

Subject: stonefly nymph
Style: painted realism

Make it yourself

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

AdvancedAbout 3½ hours at the bench, plus curing7 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 7 colours

The palette

Sand
Amber
Burnt umber
Ochre
Sage
Charcoal
Cream

The layers

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

Base
Light
Riverbed
Warm stone
Cool stones
Nymph and freckles
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

Sand
4 parts white, 1 part yellow, a drop of brown; a drop of green for khaki
Amber
3 parts yellow, 1 part red, a drop of black to deepen it
Burnt umber
Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
Ochre
2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
Sage
2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
Charcoal
1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
Cream
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown

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 · Base — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
sand — an even warm ground across the whole panel
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Sand — 4 parts white, 1 part yellow, a drop of brown; a drop of green for khaki
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 · Light — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
amber — sun rays fanning down from the top edge
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Amber — 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.
3 · Riverbed — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
burnt umber — rounded pebble shapes and their shadows along the bottom
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Burnt 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.
4 · Warm stone — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
ochre — sunlit faces on each pebble and the large speckled stone
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour 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.
5 · Cool stones — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sage — a scatter of greenish pebbles near the lower edge
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sage — 2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull 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 · Nymph and freckles — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
charcoal — the stonefly's segmented body, legs, two tails, antennae and the dark speckles on the big stone
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Charcoal — 1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
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 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
cream — wet glints on the pebbles and fine edges on the nymph's segments
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Cream — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
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

Settings here are a starting point; test on scrap first. Lay the sand base over the open panel, no mask, at 20 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 15 cm away, in thin even passes until the ground is uniform. Let it flash dry.
Cut a ray mask with long tapering slots fanning from the top edge. Spray amber at 18 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 10 cm away, heaviest at the top and fading as the rays fall.
Mask the riverbed with a pebble stencil of rounded ovals. Spray burnt umber at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 6 cm away, darkening the gaps between stones to set the shadows.
Shift the pebble stencil slightly upward and spray ochre on the top face of each pebble and the large stone, 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 6 cm away. Keep the lower edges umber.
Mask a handful of pebbles near the lower edge and spray sage at 14 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 5 cm away, a light touch so they read as cool stones among warm ones.
Place the nymph stencil over the big stone. Spray charcoal at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 to 4 cm away for the body, legs, tails and antennae. Build the abdomen darker toward each segment join.
Without the stencil, flick charcoal freckles across the large stone at 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 8 cm away, letting the spray spit in small dots.
Cut a fine highlight mask and spray cream at 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 cm away along the nymph's segment edges, leg joints and the top curve of each wet pebble.
Let all layers air dry fully, then heat-set following the paint maker's directions before handling.
Seal with a clear coat in two light passes, letting the first dry before the second, and allow a full 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

Heavy charcoal on the nymph floods the legs together. Drop pressure and build in several passes from close range.
Ochre over the whole pebble flattens it. Shift the stencil so only the top face takes the colour.
Freckling too close gives blobs, not speckles. Back off to around 8 cm and test the spit on scrap.
Sealing before the cream is dry smears the highlights. Wait until every layer is fully dry and heat-set.

Tips

Spray the amber rays before any stones so the light sits behind the riverbed, not over it.
Rotate the panel so you always pull charcoal leg lines away from the body; the taper looks natural.
Keep a scrap card nearby to clear the 0.2 mm needle before every charcoal and cream pass.
Leave a little sand showing between pebbles near the top of the riverbed so the stones fade into the water.

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

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$91

Stencils

Pre-cut mylar stencil set for this design — 7 layers$181

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 2 oz — one per colour in this design$422 oz × 7
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

$1,073

$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$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$984 oz × 7
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

$3,124

$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$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$33632 oz × 7
Transparent base and reducer$491 gal
Low-tack masking film$543 rolls
Matte fabric sealer$891 gal

Equipment