Canyon River Eagle Trucker Hat
by @dekasso
Wings wide above the last light.
A painterly eagle in flight over a turquoise river canyon at sundown, in rust, sandstone and peach, for long days near moving water.
An eagle soars with wings spread over a deep canyon, a turquoise river bending far below as the sun sinks behind the mesas. The scene is coloured in dusk peach, canyon rust, sandstone and eagle brown, with cream light on the rims.
- Eagle in flight with wings fully spread
- Turquoise river winding through rust-red walls
- Low sun over distant flat-topped mesas
- Sandstone spires framing both edges
- Nine colours, from dusk peach 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
| 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
An eagle crosses the canyon with every flight feather open. Below, a turquoise river curls between rust-red walls. The sun sits low behind flat mesas and turns the sky to peach and gold.
Wear it on a canyon tailwater, a trailhead at dawn or a long drive west. People see the bird first, then the river, then the light. It reads well from across a parking lot and up close at the fly shop counter.
Turquoise is the colour to get right here. Keep it clean and lay it after the canyon walls are dry, so the river stays bright against the rust instead of muddying into it.
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
- dusk peach, sky gold, dusty mauve, canyon rust, turquoise, sandstone, eagle brown, charcoal, cream
Details
- Subject
- eagle over a river canyon
- Style
- painterly landscape
Make it yourself
The palette
- Dusk peach
- Sky gold
- Dusty mauve
- Canyon rust
- Turquoise
- Sandstone
- Eagle brown
- Charcoal
- Cream
The layers
9 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Sky
- Sun
- Distant mesas
- Canyon walls
- River
- Foreground rocks
- Eagle
- Shadows
- 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
Dusk peach
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Sky gold
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Dusty mauve
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Canyon rust
2 parts orange, 1 part brown, a drop of red
Turquoise
1 part blue, 1 part green, 2 parts white; a drop of yellow if it looks too cold
Sandstone
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Eagle brown
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
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 · Sky — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
dusk peach — a warm fade from the horizon up to a cloud-streaked top
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Dusk peach — Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
- 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 · Sun — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sky gold — a low sun disc with soft rays spilling over the far rim
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sky gold — 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 · Distant mesas — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
dusty mauve — flat-topped buttes along the horizon
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Dusty mauve — 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.
4 · Canyon walls — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
canyon rust — stepped cliffs falling toward the river
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Canyon rust — 2 parts orange, 1 part brown, a drop of red
- 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
turquoise — a single bend of water winding through the gorge floor
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Turquoise — 1 part blue, 1 part green, 2 parts white; a drop of yellow if it looks too cold
- 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 · Foreground rocks — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sandstone — tall rock spires framing the left and right edges
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sandstone — 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 · Eagle — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
eagle brown — the bird in flight, wings fully spread
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Eagle 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.
8 · Shadows — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
charcoal — feather tips, cliff creases and the shaded side of the spires
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.
9 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
cream — sunlit rims, the eagle's head and a shine on the water
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 and mask off everything outside the artwork. All settings below are a starting point; test on scrap first.
Sky: spray dusk peach in a soft fade from the horizon line up, 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, about 15 cm away.
Sun: cut a small round mask, mist sky gold through it and feather outward for rays, 18 PSI, 0.3 mm, 10 cm.
Distant mesas: lay the horizon stencil and spray dusty mauve lightly, 18 PSI, 0.3 mm, 12 cm. Keep it pale so it sits far back.
Canyon walls: use the stepped-cliff mask and build canyon rust in two thin coats, 20 PSI, 0.3 mm, 10 cm.
River: mask the walls once dry and spray turquoise along the bend, 18 PSI, 0.2 mm, 8 cm.
Foreground rocks: place the spire masks at both edges and spray sandstone, 20 PSI, 0.3 mm, 10 cm.
Eagle: position the bird stencil over the canyon and spray eagle brown, 18 PSI, 0.2 mm, 8 cm.
Shadows: freehand or use a detail mask for charcoal on feather tips and cliff creases, 15 PSI, 0.2 mm, 5 cm.
Highlights: add cream to the sunlit rims, the eagle's head and a thin line on the water, 15 PSI, 0.2 mm, 5 cm.
Let the paint cure for at least 24 hours at room temperature.
Seal with two light coats of fabric-safe clear, letting each dry fully, then heat-set if your paint calls for it.
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 turquoise onto wet rust turns the river murky. Wait until the walls are fully dry.
- Heavy brown on the eagle hides the feathers. Build it thin and leave room for charcoal and cream.
- Too much cream flattens the light. Keep highlights to the rims, the head and one line on the water.
- Sealing too soon traps solvent and clouds the colours. Give the paint a full day first.
Tips
- Spray the far mesas paler than you think. Distance comes from soft, light colour.
- Lift the eagle stencil straight up to keep the wingtips crisp.
- Leave a thin unpainted gap where river meets wall, then close it with charcoal for a sharp edge.
- Warm the whole scene with a faint mist of sky gold over the upper sky once it dries.
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
1 remix of this
Where this came from
trucker hat · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
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