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How to Make Images Using Keyboard Strokes

The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, or ̶0;ASC II,̶1; is a widely used character-set for transmitting text-based information over computers. It consists of 94 visible characters, including the upper- and lower-case letters of the alphabet, numbers and other symbols found on your keyboard. With practice, these symbols can be organized to create images, sometimes referred to as ̶0;ASC II art,̶1; which you can make to put in your emails, on Facebook updates or just for fun.

Instructions

- 1
  Familiarize yourself with the ASC II character set. It is best to stick with ASC II characters to ensure that your artwork will have the greatest compatibility, and not all symbols on your keyboard belong to this set. Symbols you can use, in addition to the space bar, are:
  
  abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
  ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
  0123456789
  < > [ ] { } ( ) ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * _ + | - =; : " ' ` ? \ / . ,
- 2
  Open up a text editor such as ̶0;Notepad̶1; on Windows, ̶0;Textedit̶1; on the Mac or ̶0;Gedit̶1; on Linux. Make sure the font in use is one with a fixed-width, such as ̶0;Courier.̶1; This is because, in programs like Microsoft Word, where characters have variable width, the symbols are more difficult to line up and may not look the same in another program.
- 3
  Start by making a basic shape, like a square. Use underscores to create the top side of the square, then start a new line. The "|" symbol is good for the sides of the square. Use the space bar to "fill" the square and move your cursor across the screen, so you can put another "|" at the other side. Then experiment by filling the square with symbols instead of space, such as "8," or "#," and move on to other shapes like triangles and hexagons as you get used to the process.
- 4
  Play around with the different characters. Note which ones ̶0;fit̶1; together more easily. For example, small characters at different heights can be used to make gradients:
  
  _,.--'"`'''--.,_ _,.--'"`'''--.,_ _,.--'"`'''--.,_
- 5
  Recreate a simple picture in ASC II form. Either search Google for an ASC II image that you can copy, or if you are feeling confident, try to create a line drawing. Swap different characters around to see how it affects the picture. Don't worry about getting it perfect, the idea is to get a feel for the process and to learn what symbols and shapes you prefer, so you can develop your own style.
- 6
  Practice. The more ASC II artwork you make, the more you will develop a feel for which characters are the best to use in different situations, and you'll begin to develop your own style.

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