How to Make ASCII Art

ASCII art was first introduced in the mid-1960s and decorated computer science labs and Bulletin Board Systems of the 1970s. ASCII art is made by using lines of text to form a picture. ASCII art makes a great conversation piece. There are 128 ASCII Standard characters. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Start creating ASCII art by drawing out the design. Imitating the work created by others is the best way to learn (See Resources for examples). ASCII art has 96 printable characters.
2. Use graph paper for more precision. Use a black and white printout or photocopy of the desired image. An image for ASCII art is easily traced onto a grid by placing the image under the graph paper and shading in the design with a pencil. Place the papers onto a window if the underlying image does not show through easily enough.
3. Choose a "fixed-width" font to create ASCII art. Any text editor will work for this purpose. Courier is one of the more well known fixed-width fonts. The term Typewriter Font is often used in ASCII art.
4. Create the first ASCII art piece on a small scale. Because fixed-width fonts keep the same spacing between letters, it is easy to cut and paste across the computer screen. This is a very good way to create a repeating pattern for the border or background of a piece of ASCII art.
5. Zoom out frequently when creating ASCII art. Use the text editor or word processor "View" function to reduce the size of the image in order to see exactly how the ASCII art will look when completed. Try various letters to achieve a shading effect or to increase the contrast.
6. Experiment with the various letters. Because ASCII art is made of letters, some of the more complex ASCII art incorporates lines of poetry or quotations. This form of ASCII art requires a great deal of practice to accomplish.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't forget that the empty space in any piece of art is important and should serve to balance the work as a whole.
• Try to recreate ASCII art in a more permanent medium, such as acrylic paint or sculpture. The archaic nature of ASCII art is ideal for creating a "Retro" look in any room.

Who Can Help:

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