When you want to create hair accessories of your choice, painting hats is a fundamental step. For creating custom designs and transforming your look completely, painting cowboy hats have become a modern trend. Although it looks like a straightforward process, there is a lot to the story. The kind of paint you use has a lot to do with the material of the hat, the final look, the look you want to achieve, and the like. For instance, you may use acrylic paints for the front portion of baseball caps. However, it will not go down well with straw hats. It is too thick for setting on straw hats. You must test the selected paint on similar material to understand how it looks after the application.

Painting cowboy hats is not an easy task. You must follow a few rules and regulations for giving your hat a trendy look. Apart from this, you have to wear it well so that you elevate yourself. DIY painted hats will help you take away the boredom and create fun in your overall look.

Your perfection in fabric paint

First and foremost, you must develop an awareness of fabric paint. For creating sturdy and soft hats, these paints have no alternative. For the custom-decorated design, you can use fabric paint. They have been a part of western hat styles. You may turn acrylic paint into your fabric paint by using the textile medium. However, pay attention to the proportion as suggested by manufacturers. You may create stripes and other simple designs with the help of painter's tape for decorating the border. Also, you may do free-hand designs with the use of artist brushes.

Customize painted cowboy hats

Before you are all set to start the painting, there are certain things you require. Straw hats, bowls, acrylic paints, different brushes, paper plates, stencils, and a proper covering for the table are needed. If you are working on the table, ensure that it does not get messy. You can use drop cloth or newspaper for this purpose.

● First and foremost, you have to put the hat upside down inside a bowl. It will create ease of movement and also provide stability when going about the painting process. First, you have to take out a generous amount of paint on the plastic plate. It is for the first coating. Next, you must use a broad brush for applying the base coat. Remember that the base coat creates the foundation. You have to invest your time in this step. After application of the base code, you have to get to the brim underside. You have to be extra careful when you are filling small crevices.

● Always hold the hat in the center. It will keep you away from messy fingers. You have to be extra careful when you are working on the edges. Don't put the color on the opposite side accidentally. Ensure that the brim is covered correctly. The bottom and top of the rim need careful attention. You can also take the help of the Internet for understanding images of these steps. It will help you in the process.

● Following this, you have to keep the heat for drying. Different paints have different drying times. Give attention to their direction and follow them. Generally, it takes twenty to thirty minutes for this coat to dry. If you feel that the first coating is thin, you can also go for a second coating. However, you will understand this only after the first coating dries up. Then, when you are comfortable with the results, you can start with the details. You can also choose polka dot patterns and use stencils for applying them.

● Moreover, foam brushes also do the job well. When you are working on the front part of the brim, there is no alternative to stencils. Since you have to work on curves, stencils are a better choice than brushes. You must choose your starting point and steadily progress. Choosing random areas and trying to fill the gaps is not an option. It will only compromise the overall look. After you have worked on the patterns, let them dry.

Following this, you may add another layer when doing the details. You may use free-hand flowers or other designs of your choice. Let the design dry up, and you are all set to hit the dance floor with your hat.

Popular design ideas you may try

If you want to create that out-of-the-box impression on your viewers, you can go for camouflage, tribal prints, bandana patterns, dinosaur tracks, or paw prints and stripes on. Remember that bars never go out of fashion. You can use blue stars, white stars, and red lines in a combination. Moreover, flower weaves and using rainbow colors are also setting the trend. If you are interested in clouds and blue sky, you can also create the same on your cowboy hat. Forgiving a boost to your overall look, you may choose hat patterns that compliment your attire.