In this post, you’ll learn step by step how to create a cartoon style embroidery design in WILCOM, from setting up your base image to organizing your stitch layers – all with a focus on avoiding common mistakes and improving the final quality of your digitizing.
Set Up Your Document Properly
To begin, open a new file in WILCOM. Don’t use the auto digitizing wizard – just click “OK.” Switch to embroidery mode and copy/paste the image you’ll use as your reference.
- Resize the image to the desired size (in this case, 5 inches tall).
- Press P to center the image.
- Press K to lock it to the canvas and avoid accidental movement.
- Turn off the grid to get a clearer view of your design.
Outline the Shape with Satin Stitch
Start outlining the main shapes using the Fusion Fill tool (F2). Pick a contrasting color, like light blue.
- Choose Satin stitch for clean, smooth outlines.
- Use corner and curve nodes to match the shape accurately.
- Pro tip: Before a sharp curve, insert a corner node to avoid distortion.
Close each shape by pressing Enter three times, so the software generates the stitch direction automatically.
Use Branching to Avoid Jump Stitches
Once you’ve outlined several elements that are connected, you can use Branching to unify them and prevent unnecessary trims or jumps:
- Select all the relevant outline objects.
- Apply the Branching tool.
- Define the start and end points.
- If something like the ear isn’t touching the rest, leave it out of the branch to avoid unwanted thread paths.
Add Fill Areas Using Tatami Stitch
Now that your outlines are done, move on to filling in the shapes using Tatami stitch. This is ideal for areas like:
- Face
- Hand
- Bread
- Shirt
Tatami is a denser fill stitch, uses more stitches, and is perfect for larger filled sections.
Best Practices:
- Fill the face and hand separately using different stitch directions.
- Slightly extend fill areas beyond the outline if they will be overlapped by other elements (e.g., hair). This avoids gaps due to fabric pull.
- Change the exit point to prevent visible trims between blocks.
Layer Your Design in the Right Order
Organizing your stitching sequence properly is key to avoiding visual errors:
- The bread should go above the face but under the hand.
- The shirt should be beneath both the bread and the hand.
- Use distinct colors while working to help differentiate each section easily.
Add Smaller Details Accurately
For the tie (a small object), center it over the original outline using horizontal Satin stitches, placing it after the shirt and before the bread. You can assign it a temporary color for clarity.
When digitizing the robe, make sure to use Tatami stitch, slightly extending it past the outline. If it’s mistakenly set to Satin, select the object and switch it in the Fill panel. Repeat this on the opposite side.
- Use a diagonal stitch angle.
- Match the color (e.g., black) if needed.
- For small sections, you may use Satin stitch to avoid overfilling.
- Add any small white highlights at the end.
Adjust and Optimize the Color Palette
To improve workflow and visibility:
- Duplicate the base image and place it nearby for reference.
- Use Shift + K to unlock and K to lock items again.
- Hold Ctrl to select multiple objects and adjust their color.
- Use the Color Palette Editor to darken or lighten shades via “Custom Colors.”
Suggested Color Tweaks:
- Black: slightly darker
- Red: deeper tone
- Skin tones: keep as is if they look natural
- Robe blue: darker than the reference blue
- Brown (watch): add a red tint to better match the reference image
Simulate Hair Highlights
To add reflective highlights to the hair:
- Select all unlocked objects with Ctrl + A
- Press G to degenerate stitches so you can work with raw paths
- Use double Running Stitch (forward and back) for the highlights
- Use white or light blue to create reflection effects
Then, create the base hair layer using Tatami fill and increase the randomization value (e.g., 70) to give it a more natural, less uniform look.
Add Fill Details and Depth to the Bread
- The cream on the bread should be done with Satin stitch, with density reduced to 0.50 since it sits on top of another layer.
- The bread base uses Tatami fill at 0.40 mm density.
- For shadows, use a darker tone and increase density to 0.70 to simulate depth and gradient effects.
Make sure the bread doesn’t visually overlap with the skin by respecting the layer order.
Define Facial Features and Finish the Eyes
For facial elements:
- Use Satin stitch to join layers like skin and bread.
- Apply Triple Running Stitch for smaller areas like the nose that don’t overlap with other elements.
For the eyes:
- Use Satin stitch on the bottom part and Triple Running Stitch on the upper eyelid.
- Create pupils with black Satin and adjust their stitch direction.
- Use low-density Tatami fill (0.70) for the whites and irises.
- Choose a neutral eye color that blends naturally.
Repeat the same process for both eyes, adjusting their shape manually if they’re not symmetrical.
Add Shadows and Stabilizing Underlays
Add a subtle shadow behind the ear using low-density vertical Tatami stitches. Pick a skin tone that’s slightly darker for this area.
Once your design is complete:
- Use the palette cleanup button to remove unused colors.
- Delete the base image if it’s no longer needed.
- Change the background to white for better visibility.
- Press 1 to view the design at actual size, and 0 to fit it to screen.
Final Review – Stitch Order & Pull Compensation
Do a final pass to make sure objects are sequenced logically and minimize unnecessary color changes. Combine similar layers when possible to optimize the run.
- Apply pull compensation of 0.50 mm to the outlines to prevent fabric distortion.
- Add underlay stitches to large areas like the face, hair, and robe. Use a 2 mm offset from the edge to stabilize the fabric at the beginning of stitching.
Conclusion – Visual Control Through Organization
This approach — based on clear outlines, ordered layers, and visual fine-tuning — helps prevent common digitizing issues such as:
- Excessive stitch density
- Misplaced thread trims
- Uneven fills or unnatural textures
By applying these techniques, your embroidery design will look more professional and stitch out smoothly.
