Date: Wed, 13 Apr 94 22:05:18 PDT
From: sean_starlight_smos_com (Sean Gugler)
Random bits of advice for the would-be ascii artist:
(I'll leave it to you to sort and include in the FAQ if/where necessary;
paraphrase and edit as necessary. No credit needed.)
* Mark your boundaries.
Before working too much on any one area, put place markers on the
most visually significant points, so you can set up a framework for
the rest of the image. This includes vertices, boundaries, and
divisions of high contrast.
* High detail areas
Be creative, remember all the characters and their line
properties. Don't feel obligated to stick too precisely to the model,
if you're working from one, since ascii hardly ever cooperates well.
Use the shapes you have to approximate the general shape.
Some often-useful shapes:
j t f k l t r U n ^ v F T X 7
Avoid &, as different fonts look VERY different for this character.
* Line thickness
Thin lines tend to look jagged. Thicker lines offer better
directional control.
.od8o
___,-. ..oodOOOP~~Y8b
_____,---'~ `-. vs ..oodOOOOOP~~~ 88
| dOOOOOP~~~~ d8P
.' 88P
| Y8o
* Contrast
When filling large areas, or adjoining two filled areas, make
use of different weights.
... +++ *** CCC OOO 888 @@@
... +++ *** CCC OOO 888 @@@
... +++ *** CCC OOO 888 @@@
* Step back
Do this very often. Step back and survey the work. Glaring
misalignments up close are often muted when the whole picture is taken
into account. Use this to advantage, where the big picture needs a
slight adjustment; making an "awful" deviation just might work when
you step back.
* Alignment
Don't be afraid to distort the picture by a half-character if
you'll get better alignment for the effect you're trying to achieve.
___ _~~~| _"""|
,--. / | - | or - |
/ | |__ ~~~_ """_
`--. \ - -
\ fuzzy look
angular look
rounded look
* Horizontal lines
Easy to shift slightly because of _ and - characters, with convenient
"glue" characters ( , ' ` . ) Some suggestions:
---------
____-----
___
___---
__,
__,--' _
_,-'_
_,-' _-
_-
_-
* Vertical lines
Much harder to vary smoothly than horizontal lines. Some suggestions:
| | | | // // / / ,'
| [ [ / // // / ,' ,'
| [ ] | // // / / ,'
| ] | / // // / ,' ,'
| ] [ | // // / / ,'
| | ] / // // / ,' ,'
* Exercises
Convert these crude images into ascii masterpieces! (or study some
example "refinements")
/-----\ .-v=='.
| o o | {| a a |}
| o | | > |
| \_/ | `.`-','
\-----/ `v'
X A.
XXX AAA:.
XXXXX AAAAA::.
XXXXXXX AAAAAAA:::.
XXXXXXXXX AAAAAAAAA:'
______ o
\ / \ \. _-(((-_ o
\/ O \ \\/((((((o\
/\ / //\(((((( /
/ \______/ /' ~-(((-~
