In this tutorial I will show you how to model a pirate hat in Blender.
Modeling
I start with a simple plane
In edit mode, I select two of the vertices and using the M-key, I merge them at the center – this will give me a triangle
I change the transform orientation to “normal” so I can extrude the edges out along their normals
I select each edge individually and using the E-key and then I extrude each edge out along its normals by 1 unit
I then add a subdivision surface modifier with 2 levels
I then select the center face and extrude it up along the Z-Axis
I then add a horizontal edge loop using CTRL + R and slide it down toward the bottom of the center face – this will provide some further support and definition to this face
I change the transform orientation back to “global”
In vertex-select mode, I select the six vertices along the edges, right-click and subdivide them
I select the three center vertices and using the G-key, I move them up along the Z-Axis until they are about the same height as the center face
Then using the S-key, I scale the vertices in toward the center of the hat
Then, with the outer vertices selected, I scale them in toward the center of the hat
From there, I need to scale the vertices to narrow portions of the hat
In object mode, I will apply the subdivision surface modifier, right-click, and choose “shade auto smooth”
Using CTRL + 2, I add another subdivision surface modifier and then I apply it
For the stitches, I add a curve path object
In edit mode, I scale and move the curve into place on the side of the hat
I then extrude the two end vertices so they intersect with the hat
Under the object data properties tab, in the geometry section, I add some extrusion
I also add a bit of bevel
I also change the resolution preview to 3 so it isn’t so dense when I convert it to a mesh
In object mode, I right-click and convert the curve to a mesh
In edit mode, I delete unneeded faces and duplicate it and rotate it into position
Materials
I make sure I’m in material preview mode so I can see my materials
I split the viewport and open the shader editor
I add a new material for the hat
I change the base color to a dark brown [#422916]
I also change the roughness to a higher strength
I add a Voronoi texture and using the node wrangler add-on, I select the Voronoi texture and use CTRL + T to add a texture coordinate and mapping node
I change the texture coordinate from “generated” to “object”
I connect the color of the Voronoi Texture to the height of a bump map
I connect the bump map to the normal of the principled shader
I change the scale of the Voronoi texture and the strength of the bump node
I then click on the fake user so my material won’t be deleted [shield]
I then make a new material for the stitch
I make sure the hat still has the first material applied I then select the stitch and apply the second material – making any changes as needed