Emerald Canyon Rainbow Trout Hat

Below the red rock, two trout cruising.

A split-level canyon scene of two rainbow trout under rust red cliffs, in emerald green, rust and salmon pink, made for days on the river.

Two rainbow trout swim through an emerald pool beneath red canyon walls, shown in a split view above and below the waterline. Rust red cliffs, pine green trees and salmon pink stripes sit over deep emerald green water and olive riverbed rocks.

Two rainbow trout in emerald water
Rust red canyon walls above the waterline
Salmon pink stripes with charcoal spots
Pine green trees along the rim
Olive boulders and weed on the floor

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

Two rainbow trout hang in emerald green water, noses pointed into the current. Above the surface, rust red canyon walls climb in ledges, with small pines on the rims. Below, olive boulders and weed line the floor.

Wear it on a canyon tailwater, at the trailhead or around town on a slow Saturday. People notice the waterline first, then the two salmon pink stripes catching the light.

Cut it as one steady curve so the rust red cliffs meet the emerald water in a single crisp edge.

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

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, rust red, burnt umber, pine green, emerald green, olive, salmon pink, cream, charcoal

Details

Subject: rainbow trout
Style: painterly split-level scene

Make it yourself

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

AdvancedAbout 4½ hours at the bench, plus curing10 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 9 colours

The palette

Sky blue
Rust red
Burnt umber
Pine green
Emerald green
Olive
Salmon pink
Cream
Charcoal

The layers

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

Sky
Canyon walls
Cliff shadow
Rim trees
Water
Riverbed
Trout bodies
Trout stripe
Spots and outlines
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 blue
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Rust red
2 parts orange, 1 part brown, a drop of red
Burnt umber
Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
Pine green
2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
Emerald green
1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool one
Olive
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Salmon pink
1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
Cream
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
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 blue — a thin pale band across the very top
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 · Canyon walls — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rust red — stacked cliffs and ledges above the waterline
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rust red — 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.
3 · Cliff shadow — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
burnt umber — cracks, ledge undersides and darker rock faces
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 · Rim trees — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
pine green — small pines on the clifftops and banks
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Pine green — 2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool 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 · Water — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
emerald green — the lower two thirds, deepening toward the bottom
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Emerald 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 · Riverbed — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
olive — mossy boulders and waving weed along the floor
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.
7 · Trout bodies — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
olive — the backs and upper flanks of two trout
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Olive — 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.
8 · Trout stripe — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
salmon pink — the lateral band and gill plates on both fish
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Salmon 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.
9 · Spots and outlines — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
charcoal — fish spots, fin edges, eyes and rock outlines
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.
10 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
cream — bellies, fin tips and a shimmer along the waterline
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 and mask the panel edges. Settings below are a starting point: tune them to your paint and airbrush.
Mask everything below the top band and lay sky blue across the top, around 20 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 15 cm away.
Place the waterline mask and the cliff stencil. Spray rust red over the canyon walls at about 20 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 10–12 cm.
Add burnt umber into the cracks and under each ledge, around 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 5–8 cm, keeping strokes short.
Stencil the rim pines in pine green, around 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 5–8 cm.
Flip the waterline mask to cover the cliffs. Fill the water with emerald green, around 20 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 12–15 cm, building it darker toward the bottom.
Mask the riverbed shapes and spray olive boulders and weed, around 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Place the two trout stencils and lay olive on the backs and upper flanks, around 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 5–8 cm.
Add the salmon pink lateral band and gill plates through a stripe mask, around 12–15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 5 cm.
Freehand or stencil the charcoal spots, eyes, fin edges and rock outlines, around 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3–5 cm.
Finish with cream on bellies, fin tips and a thin shimmer at the waterline, around 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3–5 cm.
Let the paint dry fully, then heat set per your paint maker's guidance.
Seal with a thin, even coat of a flexible clear topcoat and let it 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

A wobbly waterline blurs the whole scene. Cut the mask as one curve and press it down firmly before spraying.
Heavy wet coats cause bleed under stencils. Spray light, dry passes and let each one flash off.
Cream highlights laid too wide flatten the fish. Keep them to bellies and fin tips only.
Sealing before the paint is dry can cloud the colours. Wait for a full dry and heat set first.

Tips

Build the emerald water in several light passes so the depth fades smoothly from top to bottom.
Keep the trout stencils slightly raised at the tail to soften the edge and suggest movement.
Test the salmon pink over a scrap of olive first; it can shift warmer once it dries.
Vary charcoal spot sizes so each fish reads as its own animal.

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 — 10 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

Two dual-action gravity-feed airbrushes, 0.3 mm$2702
Production airbrush, 0.5 mm, for base fades$951
Twin-piston compressor with tank and two regulators$3291
Production spray booth, two fans$2891
Three cap jigs$1923
Cleaning station, respirator and spare cartridges$1391
Cap heat press for curing$2791
Drying rack, 24 caps$651

Guide

Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded1

The creator

John

@john

Tight line, quiet feet, zero slack.

See everything by @john

Remixes

No remixes yet — make your own version.

Where this came from

trucker hat · made September 16, 2026

0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since September 16, 2026. Views are not counted.

rainbow trout
trout
canyon
emerald
red rock
fly fishing
trucker hat
river
underwater
tailwater
pine
fishing hat

The cap

Trucker

Rope cap

Dad hat

Five-panel camp

Fit

Two finishes

Hand airbrushed

Sublimation printed

The artwork

The water it was painted from

What arrives

Looking after it

Hand airbrushed

Sublimation printed

Details

Airbrush palette

Details

Make it yourself

The palette

The layers

How to mix each colour

Setup

Prep

Layer by layer

1 · Sky — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI

2 · Canyon walls — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

3 · Cliff shadow — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

4 · Rim trees — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

5 · Water — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

6 · Riverbed — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

7 · Trout bodies — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI

8 · Trout stripe — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

9 · Spots and outlines — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

10 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI

Step by step

Cure

Seal

Clean-up

Common mistakes

Tips

Every kit size

Trucker · kit for 1 hat

Trucker · kit for 12 hats

Trucker · kit for 12 × 12 hats

The creator

Remixes

Where this came from