Cobblestone Rainbow Trout Trucker Hat

Holding steady over the cobbles.

A rainbow trout over a cobbled streambed in olive green, rose red and sky blue, a painterly wraparound panel for a trucker hat.

A rainbow trout holds over a bed of rounded stream cobbles in clear blue water. Olive green, rose red and cream white paint the fish against slate grey and umber stones.

Rainbow trout with a rose red stripe
Rounded cobbles in slate grey and umber
Sky blue water with pale glints
Ochre yellow fins and fallen leaves
Eight colours in a painterly wraparound panel

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 rainbow trout noses into the current, mouth just open. Its back is olive and peppered with black spots, the stripe runs rose red from gill to tail, and the belly is cream. Below it, a whole streambed of round grey and brown stones, with a few yellow leaves caught between them and blue water glinting overhead.

Wear it to the river, the boat ramp or the coffee line. From across the parking lot it reads as a bright fish on blue. Up close, people start counting the stones.

Soft edges on the rose red stripe make the fish. Feather the band so it fades into the olive above and the cream below, then drop the black spots last so they sit on top of every colour.

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: sky blue, slate grey, umber brown, olive green, rose red, cream white, black, ochre yellow

Details

Subject: rainbow trout
Style: painterly realism

Make it yourself

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

AdvancedAbout 4 hours at the bench, plus curing8 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 8 colours

The palette

Sky blue
Slate grey
Umber brown
Olive green
Rose red
Cream white
Black
Ochre yellow

The layers

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

Water
Stones
Stone shading
Trout back
Stripe
Belly and glints
Spots and outlines
Accents

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 blue
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Slate grey
White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
Umber brown
Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
Olive green
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Rose red
1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
Cream white
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
Black
Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
Ochre yellow
2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black

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 · Water — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
sky blue — a bright wash across the top with pale ripples running through it
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Sky blue — 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 · Stones — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
slate grey — rounded cobbles filling the streambed under the fish
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.
3 · Stone shading — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
umber brown — warm undersides of the cobbles and the gaps between them
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Umber brown — 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 · Trout back — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
olive green — the back and upper flanks of the trout
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Olive green — 2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
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.
5 · Stripe — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rose red — the lateral band and the blush on the gill plate
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rose red — 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.
6 · Belly and glints — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
cream white — the belly, the tops of the stones and glints in the water
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Cream white — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of 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.
7 · Spots and outlines — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
black — the spots, the eye, the mouth line and the deepest 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.
8 · Accents — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
ochre yellow — the fins and a few scattered leaves on the bottom
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Ochre yellow — 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
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 the panel, let it dry, and tape off everything outside the artwork. All settings below are typical starting points; test on scrap and adjust to your paint and airbrush.
Water: no mask. Spray sky blue across the top in loose passes at 20 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 15 cm away, leaving a few streaks lighter for ripples.
Stones: lay the cobble mask and fill with slate grey at 18 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, about 10 cm away. Keep the coat even so the stones read as one bed.
Stone shading: keep the cobble mask on and mist umber brown into the lower edge of each stone and the gaps at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm away.
Trout back: place the trout silhouette mask, protect the belly with a strip, and spray olive green over the back and upper flanks at 18 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 8 cm away.
Stripe: lift the strip, add the stripe mask, and spray rose red along the lateral band and gill plate at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm away, feathering both edges.
Belly and glints: spray cream white on the belly, then freehand small highlights on stone tops and ripples at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 to 4 cm away.
Spots and outlines: with the detail stencil, place black spots, the eye and the mouth line at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 2 to 3 cm away. Deepen the darkest stone gaps lightly.
Accents: spray ochre yellow into the fins and a few leaf shapes between the stones at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 cm away.
Remove all masks and tape slowly. Let the paint cure for 24 hours at room temperature, or heat set if your paint calls for it.
Seal with two thin coats of a matte 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

Spraying the rose red stripe with a hard edge. Hold back a little and feather so it melts into olive and cream.
Overloading umber brown until the stones turn muddy. Mist in short passes and stop early.
Pulling masks while paint is wet, which smears the cobble outlines. Wait until it is dry to the touch.
Sealing too heavily and dulling the glints. Two thin coats keep the cream highlights bright.

Tips

Lay the stone mask with cobbles of different sizes; mixed shapes look like a real streambed.
Leave tiny unpainted gaps in the blue wash and you get ripples without adding another layer.
Check the trout's eye before anything else on the spot layer. A sharp eye carries the whole fish.
Thin your black slightly so the spots stay crisp and do not spit.

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 — 8 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