Streambed Brown Trout Trucker Hat
by @dekasso
Holding in the current, light pouring down
A realistic brown trout over pebbles and weed in green water, with light shafts from the surface, for days spent on the river.
A brown trout holds steady over a pebbled streambed, beneath rippling green water and slanting shafts of light. It is coloured in deep forest green, golden yellow and olive brown, with black spots and cream highlights.
- Golden brown trout with black spots
- Pale aqua light shafts through green water
- Slate grey pebbles and moss green weed
- Rippled surface bands across the top
- Eight stencil layers, background to highlight
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 green water, fins spread, nose into the flow. Shafts of pale light slant down from a rippled surface. Below it, grey stones and waving moss-green weed fill the streambed.
Wear it on the bank, at the fly shop or on the drive home. From across the room it reads as one golden fish in a pool of green. Up close, people notice the black spots and the light on the stones.
Light shafts carry this piece. Lay the pale aqua in thin, angled passes that fade before they reach the stones, so the water feels deep rather than striped.
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
- deep forest green, pale aqua, slate grey, moss green, golden yellow, olive brown, black, cream
Details
- Subject
- brown trout
- Style
- realistic underwater painting
Make it yourself
The palette
- Deep forest green
- Pale aqua
- Slate grey
- Moss green
- Golden yellow
- Olive brown
- Black
- Cream
The layers
8 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Water
- Light
- Streambed
- Weed
- Trout body
- Back shading
- Spots
- 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
Deep forest green
2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
Pale aqua
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
Moss green
2 parts yellow, 1 part green, a drop of black to deaden it
Golden yellow
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Olive brown
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Black
Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
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 · Water — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
deep forest green — the full underwater background, darkest along the bottom and edges
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Deep forest green — 2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
- 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
pale aqua — rippling surface bands across the top and slanted shafts of light falling through the water
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Pale aqua — 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.
3 · Streambed — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
slate grey — rounded pebbles and stones along the bottom
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.
4 · Weed — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
moss green — waving blades of weed rising from the stones on both sides
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Moss green — 2 parts yellow, 1 part green, a drop of black to deaden 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 · Trout body — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
golden yellow — the trout's flank, belly, head and fins
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Golden yellow — Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
- 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 · Back shading — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
olive brown — the dark back, top of the head and the fin edges
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Olive brown — 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.
7 · Spots — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
black — spots across the flank and gill plate, the eye and fin outlines
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 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
cream — belly sheen, fin tips, the glint in the eye and light catching the pebbles
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
Clean the panel, mask everything outside the art area, and lay deep forest green over the whole background. Start around 20–25 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 15–20 cm away; these are starting points. Darken the bottom and edges with extra passes.
Cut the surface ripple and light-shaft mask. Spray pale aqua at about 15–18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10–15 cm. Fade each shaft toward the bottom with lighter, quicker passes.
Mask the pebble shapes along the bottom and spray slate grey at around 18–20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm. Leave the darker green showing between stones.
Use a weed-blade stencil and spray moss green at 15–18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8–10 cm. Let a few blades overlap the pebbles.
Mask the trout outline and spray golden yellow across the body, belly and fins at about 18–20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10–12 cm. Build it up in two or three light coats.
Keep the trout mask on and add olive brown along the back, top of the head and fin edges at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8–10 cm. Fade it softly down into the yellow flank.
Switch to a spot stencil and spray black at about 12–15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5–8 cm for the spots, eye and fin outlines. Keep each spot crisp and small.
Finish with cream at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5–8 cm: belly sheen, fin tips, the eye glint and a touch of light on the top of a few pebbles.
Remove all masks and let the paint cure for at least 24 hours at room temperature, or heat-set as your paint maker directs.
Seal with two thin coats of a flexible fabric-safe clear coat, 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
- Light shafts that run edge to edge look like stripes. Fade them out halfway down with lighter passes.
- Spraying the yellow too heavily in one go causes runs on the fins. Build it in thin coats and let each flash off.
- Black spots bleeding into fuzzy blobs. Drop the pressure, move closer and use a tightly held stencil.
- Sealing before the paint has cured can cloud the colours. Wait the full cure time before the clear coat.
Tips
- Spray the light shafts at a slight angle that matches the ripple direction so they look like they come from one sun.
- Test every colour on a scrap panel first; golden yellow over dark green can shift, so check how many coats you need.
- Vary spot size from large on the back to small toward the belly for a more natural flank.
- Keep the cream highlights few and small; a handful of bright points does more than a wash.
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 — 8 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
- fly fishing
- underwater
- streambed
- green water
- light shafts
- river
- pebbles
- weed
- trucker hat
- fish art