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Original Usenet message from alt.ascii-art, 26 Jul 1994.
FAQ - ASCII Art Questions & Answers (3.2 - 66 K)

FAQ - ASCII Art Questions & Answers (3.2 - 66 K)

Archive-name: ascii-art-faq
Posting-Frequency: Weekly
Last-modified: 1994/07/25
Version: 3.2



   '.  + .        *      '       .      '   * .   `     .       +     '  )   .
 '  .'.    '   _______  ______ ______ ______ ______ `  ______ _______ ________
.  '.    +.   /______//______//_____//_____//_____/ . /_____//____  //_______/
   .     . ` _______ _____  '___  +   ___ '. ___     ______ _____/ /   __ . '
    '     : / ___  /.\___ \*/ /  .   / /  * / / '   / __  // .  __/. '/ /  . `
  .   '   ./ /. / /_____) // /___  _/ /_  _/ /_    / / / // / \ \   '/ / '
   +   .  /_/ '/_//______//_____//_____//_____/ './_/ /_//_/ * \_\' /_/   '
.       +___________________ . ___________________ ' ___________________  '  `
    '   /                  / ./                  /. /                  /' .
    *  /__________________/' /__________________/  /    _________     /  .   (
(   ' .    :     `  .       +    ' .        *     /    /   .  ' /    /.
.+   _______________   .   ___________________ ' /    /   `    /    /   '
  . /              /     '/                  /. /    /  .   + /    / .    *  '
'  /    __________/  ' . /    _________     /  /    /'.    /\/    /     (
' /    /     .          /    /  .     /    / '/    /______/      /  :   `.
 /    /     ( '      ' /    /  . +   /    /. /                  / .    '
/____/   .     `      /____/.       /____/  /________________  /           `
Version 3.2          July 25, 1994          bob...@wwa.com     \/       .
       .                       `       *                          .
          .                         `                                    .

  .


                   ___  _   _ ___ ___ _____ ___ ___  _  _ ___
                  / _ \| | | | __/ __!_   _!_ _/ _ \| \| / __!
                 | (_) | |_| | _|\__ \ | |  | | (_) | .` \__ \
                  \__\_\\___/!___!___/ !_! !___\___/!_|\_!___/
                   O  _    ___ _  _    ______   ___      ____
                  /|\/    |_ _| \| |  |  ____! / _ \    / __ \
                 / |       | || .` |  | |     | | | |  | |  | |
                  / \     !___!_!\_!  | |__   | !_! |  | |  | |
                _/___\_   _ ___ ___   |  __!  |  _  |  | |  | |
               !_   _| |_| |_ _/ __!  | |     | | | |  | |  | |
                 | | |  _  || |\__ \  | |     | | | |  | !__! |
                 !_! !_! !_!___!___/  !_!     !_! !_!   \___\_\



    1   What is ASCII art?
    2   Why use ASCII art instead of a GIF?
    3   What is ASCII art used for?
    4   What are the different kinds of ASCII art?
    5   Where can I get Color Graphics and Animations?
    6   What do those filename extensions mean?
    7   What is the best way to view ASCII art?
    8   How do I save, 'uudecode' and view animations and color images?
    9   How can I learn to make ASCII art?
   10   Are there any ASCII tools?
   11   Where can I get ASCII tools?
   12   Where can I find ASCII art?
   13   How do I FTP and Gopher?
   14   Can I get The Scarecrow's files via email?
   15   How do I make those big letters?
   16   Where can I get Figlet?
   17   How can I make gray scale pictures?
   18   Where can I get gray scale converters?
   19   How can I make better gray scale conversions?
   20   What is 'anti-aliasing'?
   21   How do I make a sig?
   22   How do I have my sig automatically added to my posts and email?
   23   How do I put an animation in my plan?
   24   What should I know about posting ASCII Art?
   25   Who made this FAQ?



______________________________________________________________________________



           ___    _   _    ____   _      _   ______   _____     ____
       O ,/ _ \  | \ | |  / ___! | |    | | |  ____! |  __ \   / ___!
      /\/| !_! | |  \| | | (___  | | /\ | | | !__    | !__) | | (___
     /   |  _  | | . ` |  \___ \ \ \/  \/ / |  __!   |  _  /   \___ \ O  ,
    /\   | | | | | |\  |  ____) | \  /\  /  | !____  | | \ \   ____) ||\/
   /_/_  !_! !_! !_! \_! !_____/   \/  \/   !______! !_!  \_\ !_____/ |/\_



     __                                                              _  O
    /_ |     ______________________________________________________   \/|\/
    _| |_                                                               |
   !_____!   What is ASCII art?                                       _/ \_


    a b c d e f g h          Standard ASCII art is made by using only
   i j k l m n o p q      letters, numbers, punctuation marks and symbols
   r s t u v w x y z      such as those at the left.
                                                                      ,
    A B C D E F G H          These characters are part of the ASCII (as - kee,
   I J K L M N O P Q      America Standard Code for Information Interchange)
   R S T U V W X Y Z      set.  This part of the ASCII set, is called the
                          'printable' set (characters 32 to 126).
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
                             There's also non-standard ASCII art, which
  \ | - _ + % @ < ; !     contain 'contral codes'.
  = # . , : > ( ] / $
  ^ ' ` " ~ ) [ { } ?        ASCII art is popular, with a number of ASCII
                          art groups on the InterNet.  Before computers,
Standard 'printable set'  ASCII art was made on typewriters or it was
  of ASCII characters.    created typographically.



    ___                                                                 O  ,
   !_  )    _______________________________________________________   \/|\/
    / /_                                                                |
   /____!   Why use ASCII art instead of a GIF?                       _/ \_


   ASCII art is used because:

   o  Standard ASCII art is the only type of graphics easily transmitted and
      instantly viewable on any terminal, emulation, or communications
      software.

   o  If you can view text from the Net, you can view ASCII art (as it is made
      up of standard text characters).  Text files are what is sent over the
      Net.  No conversion or special software required to view.  Non-standard
      ASCII art requires that the file be saved and "cat'd".

   o  ASCII art is also the most compact form of graphics.  An ASCII picture
      can easily be less than 1 K.  In cases where resolution is not an
      issue, an ASCII graphic can take the place of a bitmap, EPS, or GIF of
      20, 50, 100 or more K!



    ____                                                                O  ,
   !__ /    _______________________________________________________    /|\/
    !_ \                                                              / |
   !___/    What is ASCII art used for?                               _/ \_


   ASCII art is used for many things, such as:

   o  EDUCATION - A periodic table or molecular model for example.

   o  CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION - Pictures are international.

   o  BBS & SERVER SCREENS - Login and logoff screens, MUDs, promos, etc.

   o  ENTERTAINMENT - Like a birthday 'card', holiday greetings, invitations,
      congradulatory messages, children's picture stories, etc.

   o  VISUAL AID - Such as a wiring diagram, floor plan, illustrated
      instructions, or flow chart, to eliminate a long involved explanation
      with a graphic.



    _ _                                                                 O
   | | !_    ______________________________________________________   \/|\/
   !_   _!                                                              |
     !_!     What are the different kinds of ASCII art?               _/ \_


   The first four use the standard printable set, and can be viewed anywhere,
anytime, on any equipment.  If you can view text, you can view art.  They are:

   o  Line drawing - Such as the 3-D snowman below.  This type of image is
      made using characters for their shapes.

   o  Lettering - Large and styled, like the title "ASCII ART FAQ" above.

   o  Gray scale picture - These                  :<!!:
      create the illusion of gray shades     ..:::tNi@Nin!+: :::xr
      by using letters for their light     '!)Q88i@8888NNidbo@Ni8ir
      emitting value (assuming you are    .s:S988TR88RX*###RB8888i:x
      viewing light letters on a dark    x+RRX88888NL#?!< :<?#RR888bX
      background).  Below is a chart    !MN*#M#*BRR#8iXxi@NUX!MN88888:
      showing the light values of     <x@T!M!::(R8H@888888888xX88888#=
      various characters.  To the     x8W8Ui@!~!XMMM9M8RRRRBMMM!T588.
      right is an example of gray      .N8888M<<<~!#MXMHM8N888RMR<9R888N!.
      scale art.  This is an image    XQ888M!<:::sxXU!?MTT222#MM<?M8888~!
      of Einstein I made from a       988NMMf<!!~`"!Rk:X!"""#*N!:~!T588 !
      GIF, using Gifscii for the      "R(#MF `<      "!!~     ~<9XN#88XX<:
      Mac.  ASCII Art Resources        "%/9" x~       :L       XH?R?M888x%
      has more examples.                xi/ ~M:u::~  <88>x<:<uuUF<~*"<?8!~
                                       X38M::#M88R::d<88k9bxH888f4r o<<Ri
      Lighter   *WMB8&%$#@            '!88N!!X6?M&i8#<88Rt88NMR9%!!'8:<?8!
        /\      oahkbdpqwm              #R?<:~B:M88~ 488H~"88XM8~ ~HRtxH#
       /||\     LCJUYXZO0Q           +++x8!:<'8!@8!.  ""!:.#8M8# ~<!@!M?::
        ||      rcvunxzjft           -<!#\x~:.?<M~ <<::;;>> ?%8xx!:i:`MHbLX
       \||/     /\|()1{}[]            :*:!!:nM.~!~`<<! <`~" d<?98NHRNi!?888eu.
        \/      -_+<>i!lI?            ` `xH98MN.      '~~:. ?:x888!888xd88888f
      Darker    .'`,^:";~              :@8R?R?88ex  .boba94  WM888M88(W888888f
                                     .oX"#MMX!!R88b ~"##**".d8f?RRX8PW8888888f
         Light value scale         .u8888iXMMnWU7T#@s.     @88kX888RN88888888f
         from Jorn Barger.        .@888888NK9*MR88N86Q:.. x8T888R#88888888888f
                                 x8888888888@iX#M@8888888N88888#X@88888888888f
          GIF conversion        d88888888888kM888NN868RRRRRRR5b@8888888888888f
         by The Scarecrow.     '8888888888888!M888888888888888888888888888888!

   o  3-D images - They can be viewed by people with similar vision in both
      eyes.  You try to focus as if you are looking at the back of the
      monitor.  The image should pop into focus and create a 3-D illusion.
      Other 3-D images are viewed by putting your nose on the monitor glass.

       .-~~\           ::::::    .-~~\        ::::::   For automated help in
      /     \  _       |::::|   /     \ _     |::::|   making 3-D images,
      ~x    .-~_)_     l~~~~!   ~x   .-~_)_   l~~~~!   you can use a program
        ~>x".-~   ~-.   \RC/      ~x".-~   ~-. \RC/    called 'sirdvu11'.
     _   ( /         \   ||    _  ( /         \ ||     For red-blue 3-D,
     ||   T  o  o     Y  ||    ||  T o  o      Y||     you can use DTA
   ==:l   l   <       !  (3  ==:l  l  <        !(3     (Dave's Targa
      \\   \  .__/   /  /||     \\  \  ._/    / ||     Animation), and for
       \\ ,r"-,___.-'r.//||      \\,r"-,___.-'r/||     stereograms you need
        }^ \.( )   _.'//.||      }^\. ( )  _.-//||     a program called STAREO.
       /    }~Xi--~  //  ||     /   }~Xi--~  // ||\    And there's also
      Y    Y I\ \    "   ||    Y   Y I\ \    "  || Y   "mk3d.lha" for the
      |    | |o\ \       ||    |   | |o\ \      || |   Amiga.  For more
      |    l_l  Y T      ||    |   l_l  Y T     || |   information, see
      l      "o l_j      |!    l     "o l_j     || !   the alt.3d group.
       \                 ||     \               ||/
     .--^.     o  -Row .^||.  .--^.     o -Row  ||--.  3-D snowman by
          "           ~  `'        "           ~`'     Rowan Crawford.


   You can get stereogram programs from:

      ->  Host: katz.anu.edu.au
          Path: pub/stereograms

   You can get "sirdvu11" from:

      ->  Host: src.doc.ic.ac.uk

      ->  Host: wuarchive.wustl.edu


   Other forms of ASCII art using the standard printable set include the
following four:

   o  Geometric Article - Text itself is formed into shapes.  It can be used
      to create interesting or meaningful shapes out of the text you read.

   o  Picture Poem - A geometric article that is also a poem.  See the swan in
      the examples at the end of ASCII Art Resources.

   o  Page Making - Text and graphics are intermixed, as in a magazine.  The
      first four examples in this ansewr are an example of ASCII art page
      making.  Also known as 'pagination'.

      Page making may be as simple as using a geometric article as a simple
      wrap-around, as in Question 7.  Or it may be a three column text format,
      as in Question 14.  Or it can be something complex, like multi column
      text wrapped around gray scale graphics, with captions, headlines,
      graphs, charts, sidebars, etc.

   o  Picture Story - A story told with accompanying ASCII pictures.  The
      text and ASCII graphics are intermixed using ASCII art page making
      techniques.

      Chevalier has made a number of picture stories.  Six stories and two
      poems are available in a file called "Chevalier" in /pub/Scarecrow/Misc
      at the Scarecrow's FTP site.


   See ASCII Art Resources for examples of all of the above.  Send any
geometric articles, picture poems, and picture stories, you may have to:
bob...@wwa.com

   There are also non-standard types of ASCII art which cannot be viewed
immediately upon receiving.  They contain 'control codes' for color or
animation.  These pics and 'movies' have to be processed before they can be
sent over the Net.

   This processing changes the control codes to regular printable ASCII
characters, so the file can be sent as text (which the Net can handle).  This
is called 'uuencoding'.

   The file is processed back again after it is received.  This is called
'uudecoding'.  There is a similar program called "xxencode", which is found
less often.  See Question 8 on how to save, 'uudecode' and view animations and
color images.

   You may have seen uuencoded posts from time to time, or have had them
emailed to you.  A uuencoded file may look like:

   begin line   permission mode   filename to be given to decoded file
       |                  |        |
       |                  |        |
       |__________ begin 644 filename
                   O+BXN+BXN+R\N+B\LV2"`@("`@+RORXN+R\NLV2"`@("`@+THD+B\O+R\O
   Many lines      M;2XN+BXN+R\N+B\O+BXN+BXN+R\N+B\O+BXO+RXO+RXN+B\ON+B\O+BXN
   of encoded ____ M"AM;-#LV2"`@("`@+R`@7`H;6S$[,3%("AM;,CLQ,4@@("`@<("\*&ULS
   information     C+RXN+R\N+B\O+R\O+RXN+R\O+R\O+R\O+RXN+BX;6S`[;0HN
                   `
   end line ______ end


   The three types of non-standard ASCII art are:

   o  Animation - You see an animated image produced by a sequence of changing
      ASCII pictures.  The speed will depend on the system you are using, and
      modem speed if you are calling in.  "ANSI" (American National Standards
      Institute) escape sequences can be found in ASCII Art Resources.

   o  Color Graphics - You can view color ASCII pics, if you have a color
      screen and ANSI color compatible software.  Check to see if your
      software supports ANSI color, and how it is enabled.

   o  Color Animation - For an example of color and animation together, take a
      look at the file called "Vortex" in /pub/Scarecrow/Color at the
      Scarecrow's FTP site.

   Examples are in ASCII Art Resources.  Send any animations, color pics, and
color animations you may have to: bob...@wwa.com



    ___                                                                 O
   | __!    _______________________________________________________    /|\
   !__ \                                                             _/ | \_
   !___/    Where can I get Color Graphics and Animations?            _/ \_


   You can get animations from:

                Scarecrow's FTP Site
      ->  Host: ftp.wwa.com
       Address: 198.49.174.1
          Path: pub/Scarecrow/Animations

      ->  Host: tuda.newcastle.ac.uk
       Address: 128.240.2.1
          Path: pub/local/n1ka0/animation
                Contains dozens of animations

      ->  Host: procyon.cis.ksu.edu
          Path: pub/vtmovies

      ->  Host: ftp.netcom.com
          Path: pub/bertino

      ->  Host: quartz.rutgers.edu
          Path: pub/computer/vt100

      ->  Host: sunsite.unc.edu
          Path: pub/multimedia/animation/vt100-animation

      ->  Host: irisa.irisa.fr
          Path: pub/vt100

      ->  Host: mordor.ind.wpi.edu
          Path: pub/ascii/art/movies

      ->  Host: faui43.informatik.uni-erlangen.de
          Path: pub/pictures/ascii/vt100_animation
                pub/Multimedia/pictures/vt100-animation

      ->  Host: ftp.armory.com
          Path: pub/user/hello/index

   You can get color graphics from:

      ->  Host: ftp.uwp.edu
          Path: pub/msdos/demos/ansi

                Scarecrow's FTP Site
      ->  Host: ftp.wwa.com
       Address: 198.49.174.1
          Path: pub/Scarecrow/Color
                Has the color animation "Vortex".


                                                                          /
     __                                                               , O/
    / /_     ______________________________________________________   \/|
   |  _ \                                                               |
    \___/    What do those filename extensions mean?                  _/ \_


   Animations and color images may have some of the following elements in
their file name:

      Filename.vt.ansi.tar.Z.uu
         |     |   |    |  |  |
         |     |   |    |  |  |__ May be "uu" and "uue" for uuencode,
         |     |   |    |  |      may also be "xx" or "xxe" for xxencode.
         |     |   |    |  |
         |     |   |    |  |__ For Unix Compress, may also be .gz, .zip, etc.
         |     |   |    |      A .zip file may cantain more than one color
         |     |   |    |      pic and-or animation.  Must be 'unzipped'.
         |     |   |    |
         |     |   |    |__ Means the file is in a tape archive format, and
         |     |   |        that a number of animations and-or color pics have
         |     |   |        been packed together.  Must be 'untarred'.
         |     |   |
         |     |   |__ ANSI usually implies the file is a color image.
         |     |
         |     |__ As in VT terminal (such as VT-100 terminal emulation).
         |         VT usally implies the file is an animation.
         |
         |__ File name

   For further information, on how to save, uncompress, untar, unzip, and view
these types of files, see Question 8.


                                                                      \
    ____                                                               \O  ,
   !__  |   _______________________________________________________     |\/
     / /                                                                |
    /_/     What is the best way to view ASCII art?                   _/ \_


   For best results in viewing ASCII art, try the following:

   o  A 'non-proportional' font, also called a 'mono-spaced' font.  This is a
      font that displays the same number of characters per inch, no matter
      what the actual width of the characters.  So the letters i and n and m
                                                      are displayed at the
      iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii   same characters per
      nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn   per inch.  If you are
      MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM   actually viewing with
                                                      a non-proportional,
      or mono-spaced, font, the three lines in the inset area above should
      appear the same length.  If they don't look the same length, try another
      font.  Names to look for on various systems include: Courier, System,
      Monaco, Chicago, Geneva, Line Printer, etc.

   o  A small, say, 9 point font, will help to increase the apparent
      resolution.  A small font also helps the illusion of gray scale images.

   o  Viewing from a distance of a meter or more also helps.

   o  Use light characters on a dark background.  Many ASCII pictures are
      meant to be viewed light on dark.  This is because the artist can more
      easily control the light and get a better lighting effect.  Also, the
      viewer benefits because there is less glare than you would get from a
      light background.

   And in some instances:

   o  Most gray scale pics are made to be viewed light characters on a dark
      background.  But some gray scale art may look like a negative image when
      viewed this way.  This is because it is meant to be printed with dark
      ink on light paper.  Use dark characters on a light background, or print
      out the picture.

   o  Most ASCII pics are made to be viewed on a monitor that displays 80
      characters across.  But some ASCII art is wider, say, 81 to 132
      characters across, and is meant to be printed.  Use a small, say, 4
      point type, and view dark characters on a light background, or print out
      the picture.

   o  Mast ASCII art is made of standard text, and some are standard text with
      embedded control codes.  But you may rarely find ASCII art in a
      postscript file.  To view, you must open it in a postscript capable
      program, and optionally, print it on a postscript printer.

   There are a few important things to remember when making, viewing, or
talking about an ASCII art image.  And they're obvious but almost always
forgotten.

   o  Even though different fonts may all be mono-spaced, they ARE different,
      and can give a picture a different look.  Some artists may mention the
      font the picture was made with.

   o  A font may be serif or sans-serif (serifs are the little feet on
      characters.  The ascenders and descenders may be straight or curved.
      And characters may be wider or narrower.

   o  The weight, or heaviness of characters can vary.  Serifs, the little
      feet on characters, can make them look heavier.  Especially effected by
      weight inconsistencies are symbols like:

      #  hatch/hash mark
      $  dollar sign
      @  at sign

   o  Shapes can vary too.  Here are some of the more consistent shapes:

      -  dash
      /  slash
      \  backslash

      Richard Kirk says "Shapes to be wary of are:"

      ~  sometimes sits high, sometimes in middle
      ^  same reason
      *  same reason
      &  sometimes closed, sometimes open
      |  same reason
      '  sometimes hooked left, sometimes straight
      [] sometimes centered, sometimes far off
      <> sometimes touch top and bottom, sometimes centered
      0  sometimes with slash, sometimes open
      l  sometimes with base, sometimes not
      y  sometimes straight tail, sometimes curved

   o  According to Jorn in his "asciitech" file, "Unfortunately, this narrow
      standard ignored the needs of many other cultures: the British 'pound'
      sign, letters with accents in French and Scandinavian alphabets, etc.,
      which led them to introduce slight modifications to the standard, making
      the following symbols (at least) non-universal:"

      ^  caret
      `  backquote
      #  hatch/hash mark
      |  pipe
      {} curly braces
      ~  tilde
      \  backslash
      []  quare brackets
      $  dollar sign
      @  at sign

   o  Different systems display text differently.  If you look at a picture on
      a terminal at a Unix site, and then bring it home and view it on a Mac,
      it will look different.  On the Mac, it will have a greater aspect
      ratio.  In other words, it will be displayed shorter top to bottom.
      Even though it contains the same number of lines.

      See ASCII Art Resources for an aspect ratio chart.


                                                                      \   /
    ___                                                                \O/
   ( _ )    _______________________________________________________     |
   / _ \    How do I save, 'uudecode'                                   |
   \___/    and view animations and color images?                     _/ \_


   You need to do the following if you want to save an animation or color
image from a newsreader or mail program, uudecode and view.  Type the name of
the file where I have "FILENAME".  On a Unix system, the process is usually as
easy as:

   o  In your newsreader, you can type "s FILENAME" and choose a filename.
      In Elm you'll get a "save file to" prompt.  In Pine, you'll be asked for
      a folder name.  Pine's 'folder' is actually a text file, so go ahead and
      give it a name.  Give your new file a unique name so the it isn't
      appended to, or doesn't overwrite, any existing file.

   o  Quit your newsreader or mailer and go to where the file was saved.

   o  Type "uudecode FILENAME".  This may change the file's name.

   o  You may need to decompress the file if it has a suffix such as .Z or .gz
      (among others).  For .Z, type "uncompress FILENAME" and for .gz, type
      "gunzip FILENAME".

   o  Sometimes a number of animations or color pics will come packed together
      in a .zip or .tar file.  You need to unzip or untar it by typing "unzip
      FILENAME" or "tar -xvf FILENAME".  You will now have a number of files.
      To just read the contents of a .tar file, type "tar -tvf FILENAME".

   o  Now, to view, type "cat FILENAME" and press the return.

   o  Alternatively, if you want to view an animation compressed as a .Z file,
      you can view it without decompressing it by typing "zcat FILENAME", and
      for .gz compressed files, by typing "gzcat FILENAME".


   To slow down an animation while viewing on your Unix host, you need to type
"cat -u FILENAME".  Note: if you are modeming into your host, the speed of
your connection will effect the speed of the animation.  At 14.4 K, the
animation may go to quickly, while at 2400, it may go to slowly.

   See ASCII Art Resources for info on programs to slow animations.


   If you have uudecoded and decompressed a file and downloaded it, you need
to do the following:

   o  On your PC: You have to type "type FILENAME" and press the return to
      view.  You have to be sure there is a line reading:
      "DEVICE=ANSI.SYS" or "DEVICEHIGH=ANSI.SYS" in your CONFIG.SYS file.

      You should probably also convert these files to DOS-ASCII.  Do this with
      a CR/LF converter (FLIP.EXE from FLIP1EXE.ZIP).  Be sure to use the
      binary option because of the escape codes.

   o  On your Amiga: Open a large Cli/Shell and type "type FILENAME" and press
      return to view.



    ___                                                                 O
   / _ \    _______________________________________________________  ,_/|\
   \_, /                                                                |/
    /_/     How can I learn to make ASCII art?                        _/ \_


   Unfortunately, there aren't many text books on the subject. :-)  A good
way to learn is to study how an artist has made a picture.  What characters
are chosen.  How are the characters laid out?  How is a texture made?

   You can also modify existing art.  Take a piece of art you think could be
improved.  Make a copy.  Now work on it.  When you are good at that, try to
improve a really good pic.  Diddle a GIF conversion.  Then see if you can fix
a damaged file.  Now take some small pics and put them together into a big
composite image.

   If you're working from scratch, the following may help you:

   o  Decide what you want.  Block out the sizes ond shapes of things so you
      can get the proportions right.  Do it now, not later, you'll save work.

   o  Add detail.  Concentrate on the focal point and important parts of your
      drawing.  ASCII art is low definition, so you'll have to make the pic
      big if you want detail or real smoothness.  Take a tip from master
      cartoonists, just try to suggest things, don't try to replicate them.
      Too much detail can end up looking confusing.

   o  One of the biggest helps is knowing how to shape things.  For example,
      you can curve a horizontal line with just the _ and - and ".

                  _____-------"""""""--------_____-------"""""""

   o  Slanting vertical lines is easy:

      This slanted     This second    This one is    This really slanted line
      line is simply   line is made   made using     is made with the five
      made with the /  with , and '   , and - and '  characters , _ - ' "

            /                    ,'                ,-'                   ,_-'"
           /                   ,'               ,-'                 ,_-'"
          /                  ,'              ,-'               ,_-'"
         /                 ,'             ,-'             ,_-'"
        /                ,'            ,-'           ,_-'"
       /               ,'           ,-'         ,_-'"

   o  Next comes smoothing:

      Let's say you have made an            XXXX        The b d and o are good
      object like this out of X's ______  XXXXXXXX    / for sloping.  The o
      The object is rather rough.        XXXXXXXXXX  /  can be used on either
                                          XXXXXXXX  /   side of the slope.
      Let's change that, first we'll        XXXX   /
      fill the inside with 8.                     /     The ( and ) are for
                                            d88b      / curving the sides.
      The 8 is a popular character  ____  d888888b   /
      for a general fill.  Some people   (88888888)     The Y is used because
      prefer M or H for fills.  Smooth    Y888888Y  ___ the P has no mirror.
      using characters for their shapes.    Y88Y        You can also use *.

   o  Use areas of characters for patterns, tones, and contrast.  For example,
      when I was making one of my map sigs, I tried all kinds of combinations
      to get the effect I wanted.

      Notice how there are four nice tonalities.  There is a:

      - Dark tone with spaces
      - Dark quarter tone with the :
      - Mid tone with the /
      - Bright tone with the #

      There is no light quarter tone, that's to accentuate the bright tone.

      Also Notice the dimensional effect made by the spaces to the right of
      the continents and letters.

:::::::::::::::// ::// :://////// ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::://///////// // ://// ::::// :::://////////////// :::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::://///// ::/ ::// ::::://////////////////// :/ ::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::://///////// :::::::/ ////////////////////// :::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::://///////// ::::::::://////////////////////// / :::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::////////// :::::::::::// //////////////////// / :::::::::::::::::
::::::##### ::#### //#### ::##### ::##### :#### :##### ///#### / ## :## :## ::
::::## :::::## ////## :## :## :## :## ://## ///:## :## /## :## :## :## :## :::
::::##### :## :://###### :##### ::#### /## ///:##### ::## :## :## :## :## ::::
:::::::## ## ::::## :## :## ## ::## ///## ///:## ## ::## :## :## :## :## :::::
::##### ::#### :## /## :## :## :##### /#### :## :## ::#### :::######## :::::::
::::::::::::::::://////// ::::::::::://///// ::::::::::/ ::::// ::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::://////// :::::::::::////// :::::::::::::::::// :::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::://///// :::::::::::////// / :::::::::::/// / ::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::///// ::::::::::::://// / :::::::::://///// ::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::://// :::::::::::::::// :::::::::::://////// ::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::// :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::// :/// :/ ::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::/ :::::::::::bob...@wwa.com :::::::::::::::/ ::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

   Here are a few tips, that taken together, can make an instant ASCII artist
out of anybody:

   o  A quick way to make a pic is to photocopy a drawing onto plastic.  Place
      the plastic over your monitor to act as a guide for placing characters.

   o  Ease your work by making a file full of lines of spaces.  Now copy that
      file.  Open a copy and start working.  You'll see that it's easier
      because you can now go where you want and replace the spaces with
      characters.  You have eliminated endless space bar pressing.  Remember
      to strip all trailing spaces when you're done.

   o  Use a mouse.  A mouse allows you to move more quickly from character to
      character.  It's also easier to delete bunches of characters and large
      numbers of lines.

   o  To avoid as much variation as possible in characters, weights, and
      shapes found between different fonts, use the following characters:

                            / ! ( ) = + - _ : ; , .

   o  Use 'block editing' if you can.  Some software allows for a square or
      rectangular chunk of text to be cut, copied and pasted.

   o  It may be better to work on your own computer (if it has more
      appropriate hardware and-ar software), and then upload it to your
      InterNet host.


   Also, see files like Jorn's "asciitech", available at:

                Jorn's FTP site
      ->  Host: ftp.mcs.com
          Path: mcsnet.users/jorn/ascii-art

                Scarecrow's FTP Site
      ->  Host: ftp.wwa.com
       Address: 198.49.174.1
          Path: pub/Scarecrow/Info
                Has Jorn's "asciitech" plus 'How-To' and techniques
                files from Normand and Row, FAQs, and other info files.


   Send any ASCII art techniques you know to: bob...@wwa.com


                                                                         /
    _   __                                                           , O/
   / | /  \    ____________________________________________________   \/\
   | || () |                                                            /
   !_! \__/    Are there any ASCII tools?                             _/ \_


   Not many.  The Emacs editor offers some help, if you know how to use it.
Q-Edit is an ASCII editor with block cut and paste.  And TheDraw can do some
ANSI tricks but is limited by RAM size.

   There are Unix and DOS scripts for flipping an ASCII pic (like "modasc" by
Ric Hotchkiss).  BBSdraw is available for the Amiga.  So is CygnusEd, which
allows column editing.  And also the TPU editor for VAX.  And then there's
"mdraw.el" for GNU Emacs 19 under X, that lets you draw ASCII with a mouse.



    _   _                                                               O
   / | / |    _____________________________________________________  '\/|\
   | | | |                                                              | \
   !_! !_!    Where can I get ASCII tools?                            _/ \_


   You can get TheDraw at:

      ->  Host: oak.oakland.edu
          Path: pub/msdos/screen/tdraw463.zip

   You can get "mdraw.el" at:

      ->  Host: ftp.cse.psu.edu
          Path: pub/flee/mdraw.el



    _   ___                                                           , O
   / | !_  )    ___________________________________________________   \//\
   | |  / /                                                            / /
   !_! /___!    Where can I find ASCII art?                          _/ \_


   You can FTP and Gopher ASCII art (single pics and archives of dozens or
hundreds of images).  FTP'ing is easy.  Gophering is easier.  See Question 13
for further info.  ASCII art is available from many sites, including:

                Scarecrow's FTP Site
      ->  Host: ftp.wwa.com
       Address: 198.49.174.1
          Path: pub/Scarecrow
                Has all the Scarecrow's files, Steve Sullivan's Small ASCII
                Pics, Gifscii for many systems, Figlet (and all the fonts I
                know of), Color Graphics, Animations, and Chevalier's Picture
                Stories.  Plus a folder of 'How-To' and techniques files Row,
                Normand and others, FAQs, Escape Sequences, Emacs Code, etc.

                See Question 14 for a table of all the Scarecrow's files,
                showing file name, size (uncompressed), version, name it has
                at the Scarecrow's FTP site, and the subject line for
                requesting it by email.

      ->  Host: mordor.ind.wpi.edu
          Path: pub/ascii/art/pictures
                pub/ascii/art/movies

                Jorn's FTP site
      ->  Host: ftp.mcs.com
          Path: mcsnet.users/jorn/ascii-art
                Has Scarecrow's files, plus other ASCII art files, and the
                technically oriented "asciitech.aa".

                Chris' FTP site
      ->  Host: ftp.ncsu.edu
          Path: pub/ncsu/chking/Archive
                pub/ncsu/chking/Pics/ASCII
           WWW: http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/users/c/chking/HTML/HTMLs/ascii.html
                Contains all the Scarecrow's files, all of Steve Sullivan's
                files, and Gifscii for many systems.

      ->  Host: ftp.cs.ttu.edu
          Path: pub/asciiart/sullivan
                Has Steve Sullivan's Small ASCII Pics collections.

                Juan's FTP site
      ->  Host: ftp.cs.uoregon.edu
          Path: pub/juan/Ascii

      ->  Host: aug3.augsburg.edu
          Path: files/text_files
                ASCII art files are appended with ".art".

      ->  Host: tuda.newcastle.ac.uk
       Address: 128.240.2.1
          Path: pub/local/n1ka0/animation
                Contains dozens of animations

   The following are gopher servers:

                ASCII Art Bazaar
                Over 12 megabytes, thousands of pieces in many categories.
      ->  Host: twinbrook.cis.uab.edu
          Path: 70/1asciiarc.70 (70/11asciiarc.70 on some clients)
           WWW: //twinbrook.cis.uab.edu/hhomepage.80 (w/HTML support)
                //twinbrook.cis.uab.edu:70/1asciiarc.70
                //twinbrook.cis.uab.edu:70/11asciiarc.70
Gopher Bookmark:Name=The ASCII Art Bazaar
                Host=twinbrook.cis.uab.edu
                Port=70
                Path=asciiarc.70
                Type=1

      ->  Host: gopher.cs.ttu.edu
          Path: 1/Art and Images/ClipArt (ASCII)

   The following is a mailing list:

                ASCII Art listserv list
      -> Email: lis...@ukcc.uky.edu
       Message: subscribe asciiart

   The following are FTP mail servers:

      -> Email: ftp...@decwrl.dec.com

      -> Email: ftp...@sunsite.unc.edu

      -> Email: bitftp@pucc


                     The Scarecrow's Recommendations

If you're short on disk   If you have a bit more    If you have some disk
space, I would suggest    disk space, you may want  space to spare, you
you save this FAQ and     to get the Best of the    should get all of the
get the Most Often        Scarecrow's ASCII Art     SAAAs and the ASCII Art
Requested Edition, plus   Archive.  Also, select    Resources.  You can also
files containing the      a number of files from    get all of Steve's Small
type(s) of art you want,  Steve Sullivan's Small    ASCII Pics, and a few
such as the Sig Gallery.  ASCII Pics.               animations and color pics,
                                                    plus some 'How-To' files.
STORIVG ASCII ART ON YOUR HOST OR YOUR COMPUTER     You can get Megabytes of
Disk space is often limited, so store ASCII art     art and info.  With all
compressed (it should compress 3:1).  View it when  these, you'll be an
it's compressed by typing: "zcat FILENAME | more"   ASCII art expert and
for .Z and "gzcat FILENAME | more" for .gz files.   collector, instantly!



    _   ____                                                             O
   / | !__ /    ___________________________________________________    \/|
   | |  !_ \                                                          /\ |
   !_! !___/    How do I FTP and Gopher?                            _/  \|


   If you have FTP at your site, and you want to FTP over to say, Chris King's
FTP site, on most Unix based InterNet sites, you would:

   o  Type "ftp ftp.ncsu.edu" at the prompt.  Notice that "ftp" was typed
      twice.  The first is the command, the second is a port of the address.
      If you're already at an ftp prompt, type "open ftp.ncsu.edu".

   o  When the connection opens, it will ask for your name, so type
      "anonymous".

   o  When it asks for a password, type your email address.  You should be
      logged in.

   o  Now, type "cd pub/ncsu/chking/Archive".  This will 'Change
      Directory' to Chris' ASCII art folder.

   o  Now type "ls".  This will list the contents of the folder.

   o  Let's say you want a file called "Funnies", you would type "get
      Funnies".  The file will be transfered to the host you FTP'd from, in
      the folder you were in when you started that FTP session.

   o  When you're done, type "bye" and press the return.  It will say goodbye
      and quit.  If you just want to switch to another site, type "close".
      You will be at the ftp prompt, where you can type "open ftp.wwa.com" (or
      whatever site).


   You may have to decompress or uudecode the file first.  See Question 8 on
how to do that.  Now you can view or download the file.

   Two helpful things.  Type "cd .." to go back out of a folder.  Type "pwd"
('Print Working Directory') to see where you are.

   Another thing to type is "mget" when you want several files.  Say you want
all the SAAAs.  You would type "mget Gallery*".  It will get everything that
has "Gallery" in it, which will be all the Scarecrow's 'Best Ofs'.  When it's
ready to transfer each file, it will ask you if you want it.  Press the y key
if you do.


   Gopher is even easier.  Say you want to check out the Bazaar.  You:

   o  Type "gopher twinbrook.cis.uab.edu".

   o  Now just use the arrow or number keys to pick the menu item you want.

   o  In this case we pick "The Continuum" and press the return.

   o  After we enter The Continuum, we see the ASCII Art Bazaar, so we pick it
      and press return.

   o  Once in the Bazaar, you can browse the menus and view the art.


   The Bazaar has over 12 megabytes of ASCII art pics (in categories),
newsgroup articles, collections, information, etc.  And you can view the
goodies without having to download anything just to see it.  You just use
menus to look at what you want, and it's displayed on screen.



    _   _ _                                                            O
   / | | | !_    __________________________________________________    |\/
   | | !_   _!                                                         |
   !_!   !_!     Can I get The Scarecrow's files via email?           /_\_


   Yes.  If you do NOT have FTP available, you can get files by email.
To receive  _  send email to bob...@wwa.com with the subject line  _
          _| |_                                                _| |_
          \   /                                                \   /
           \ /                                                  \ /
            Y                                                    Y

                             Current        Name of file on  Subject line
File Name                    Version  Size  Scarecrow's FTP  for requests

ASCII ART FAQ                    3.2  66 K  FAQ              REQUEST FAQ
ASCII Art Resources              3.2 131 K  AAResources      REQUEST RESOURCES

   The following 4 archives contain everything in the Scarecrow's edited
collection:

Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archive    1.0 349 K  SAAA1.Z.uu       REQUEST SAAA 1.0
Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archive    2.0 362 K  SAAA2.Z.uu       REQUEST SAAA 2.0
Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archive    3.0 369 K  SAAA3.Z.uu       REQUEST SAAA 3.0
Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archive    4.0 364 K  SAAA4.Z.uu       REQUEST SAAA 4.0

   The following files are subsets of the above archives (if you have the
above archives, you don't have to get these, unless you want them):

Best of the SAAAs                1.0 610 K  BestOfSAAAs.Z.uu REQUEST BEST
Best of the ASCII Pics           1.0 205 K  BestPics.Z.uu    REQUEST PICS
Most Often Requested Edition     1.2 107 K  MORE             REQUEST MORE
The Scarecrow's Funnies (humor)  2.1  68 K  Funnies          REQUEST FUNNIES
The Scarecrow's Font File        1.0 127 K  FontFile.Z.uu    REQUEST FONTS
Best of Scarecrow's Sig Gallery  1.2 207 K  SigGallery.Z.uu  REQUEST SIGS
Best of Scarecrow's BBS Gallery  1.3  88 K  BBSGallery       REQUEST BBS
Best of Scarecrow's GIF Gallery  1.1  62 K  GIFGallery       REQUEST GIFS
Best of Scarecrow's 3-D Gallery  1.0  30 K  3-DGallery       REQUEST 3-D


   ASCII Art Resources contains descriptions of the above files.

 ____________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                            |
|                           WHEN REQUESTING FILES                            |
|   When requesting files, please be sure to use the subject lines above.    |
|   That way I won't accidentally delete a request thinking it's something   |
|   from a list server I don't want to see.                                  |
!____________________________________________________________________________!


   When writing to me about other things, please use a good strong subject
line.  If you are responding to my reply, please try to include some of what
we have both said, or I may have no clue what it's about.

   And please be patient.  If your message is the first I see when I open my
mailbox, you'll get an answer right away.  If it's the 137th, it may take a
little longer.  I answer most mail the same day.

   If you don't get an answer, please try again, as I may have pressed the
wrong button.  And it's easy to press the wrong button because I handle
tons of mail each week.



    _   ___                                                         , O O
   / | | __!    __________________________________________________  \/| |\_
   | | !__ \                                                       /\ | | /\
   !_! !___/    How do I make those big letters?                 _/  \| |/  \_


   You can make lettering like the above subtitle "ANSWERS" by hand, or use a
program called Figlet.  With Figlet, the letters you type are automatically
turned into big letters.  Figlet stands for Frank, Ian and Glenn's LETters.
                                            "      "       "       """
   Figlet is available for use on some host systems.  If it is not, you can
obtain Figlet and fonts from the sites listed in Question 16.  There are about
50 fonts for use with Figlet.  Figlet fonts have an .flf suffix.  There are a
number of examples of Figlet fonts in the ASCII Art Resources file.


   Figlet is currently in version 2.0, available for Unix, DOS, and Amiga.
The following utilities are also available:

         chkfont - Checks Figlet 2.0 font files for formatting errors.

        fsfiglet - Is a font switching front end to Figlet.

    showfigfonts - Prints a list of available Figlet fonts, and samples.


   Some other hosts have a program called "Banner" which performs a similar
function.


                                                                      _   _
    _   __                                                             \ /
   / | / /_     ___________________________________________________     |
   | ||  _ \                                                           /O\
   !_! \___/    Where can I get Figlet?                              _/   \_


   You can FTP Figlet from:

      ->  Host: ftp.isu.edu
          Path: pub/figlet
                This is the official site and contains the latest fonts.

                Scarecrow's FTP Site
      ->  Host: ftp.wwa.com
       Address: 198.49.174.1
          Path: pub/Scarecrow/Figlet
                Has every font I have been able to find.

   Depending on where you get Figlet and-or Figlet fonts from, you may have to
uudecode, uncompress, and possibly untar them.  For how to do this, see
Question 8.

   There is also a Figlet mailing list run by Ian Chai:

      -> Email: lis...@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu
       Message: SUBSCRIBE FIGLET-L
                Receive new fonts, software update notices, as well as chat
                about Figlet.



    _  ____                                                          .  O
   / |!__  |    ___________________________________________________   \/|\
   | |  / /                                                             |/
   !_! /_/      How can I make gray scale pictures?                   _/ \_


   You can make them from scratch if you are a very good ASCII artist.  An
easier way is to use a program called ASCGIF.  There is also Gifscii (with
versions for many systems), ANSIrez, GIF2ANSI, and gif2txt for the PC.

   These programs make an ASCII pic from any GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
image (or image you can convert to a GIF).

   Most converters require the GIF to be in 87a format, not 89a format.  GIFs
in 89a format, must be converted to 87a format first.  Some programs capable
of viewing GIFs can save in the 87a format.

   The exception to the GIF converters is a bitmap converter for Windows
called Pixel Characterizer (version 0.5) by Shi Y Chen.



    _   ___                                                             O
   / | ( _ )    ___________________________________________________  ._/|\
   | | / _ \                                                            |
   !_! \___/    Where can I get gray scale converters?                _/_\


   You can get Gifscii for many systems, and the source code from:

                Chris' FTP site
      ->  Host: ftp.ncsu.edu
          Path: pub/ncsu/chking/Archive

                Scarecrow's FTP Site
      ->  Host: ftp.wwa.com
       Address: 198.49.174.1
          Path: pub/Scarecrow/Gifscii

                Both Chris' and Scarcecrow's sites have the following:

                Version: File name

                  MSDOS: Gifscii.exe
             Unix (Sun): Gifscii.ux
              Macintosh: MacGifscii.hqx
                  Amiga: Gifscii.lha
          Digital Alpha: ALPHAGifscii.exe
            Digital VAX: VAXGifscii.exe
               c-source: Gifsciiv2.2src

   You can get Gifscii for the Mac, and the source code from:

                Jorn's FTP site
      ->  Host: ftp.mcs.com
          Path: mcsnet.users/jorn/ascii-art

   You can FTP ASCGIF from:

      ->  Host: usc.edu
          Path: archive/usenet/sources/comp.sources.misc/volume30/ascgif

      ->  Host: wuarchive.wustl.edu
          Path: usenet/comp.sources.misc/volume30/ascgif

      ->  Host: ftp.uu.net
          Path: usenet/comp.sources.misc/volume30/ascgif

   You can get GIF2ANSI from:

      ->   BBS: Exec-PC (414) 789-4210
                GIF2ANSI.ZIP is in the "Mahoney MS-DOS" file collection.

   You can get gif2txt from:

      ->   BBS: Aquila BBS (708) 820-8344]
                gif2txt.zip


    If you do NOT have FTP available, you can get Gifscii by email.
To receive  _  send email to bob...@wwa.com with the subject line  _
          _| |_                                                _| |_
          \   /                                                \   /
           \ /                                                  \ /
            Y                                                    Y

      File Name                       Version   Size    Subject line

   o  Gifscii for the Mac                 2.2 - 37 K    REQUEST GIFSCII MAC
   o  Gifscii source code                 2.2 - 51 K    REQUEST GIFSCII SOURCE


                                                                     "\   /"
    _   ___                                                            \O/
   / | / _ \    ___________________________________________________     |
   | | \_, /                                                            |
   !_!  /_/     How can I make better gray scale conversions?         _/ \_


   Most of us start out thinking that you just put a GIF into a converter
program and out comes a perfect ASCII pic.  Would you believe ... there are
some things you can do to improve the chances of getting a good conversion.


   The following is not a complete list, but it is what I have learned in
making many conversions:

   o  Use an 8 bit gray scale or color image instead of a 2 bit B&W image.

   o  Use an image with a wide range of tones, with a relatively even
      distribution of shades from dark to light.

   o  Keep it simple, like a face or close-up of an object.  Avoid complicated
      pictures, they seldom produce good results.

   o  Avoid busy backgrounds.  Also, assuming the preference for viewing the
      final ASCII pic is light characters on a dark background, try to avoid
      bright backgrounds in the original image.

   o  Use an image that is tightly cropped, without a lot of waste.

   o  Be prepared to quickly run through a series of conversions.  You will
      probably not like the majority of conversions you get.  Be prepared to
      discard 9 to 11 out of 12.

   o  It helps to do touch-up work on the converted picture.  Most pics I have
      posted have been touched-up to some degree or another.  Concentrate on
      the focal points and important areas of the picture.


   Send any gray scale conversion techniques you know to: bob...@wwa.com

                                                                      ,
                                                                      \
    ___   __                                                           \O
   !_  ) /  \    __________________________________________________     |\
    / / | () |                                                          |/
   /___! \__/    What is 'anti-aliasing'?                             _/ \_


   It's a hate group against people who use assumed names. :-)  Just kidding,
the short, plain english explanation is that special care was taken to use
characters for their shapes.  This makes the picture or font look smoother.


                                                                      \   /
    ___   _                                                            \O/
   !_  ) / |     __________________________________________________     |
    / /  | |                                                            |
   /___! |_|     How do I make a sig?                                 _/ \_


   There are no rules for making sigs.  Most sigs contain items such as:

   o  Name
   o  Email address(s)
   o  Nickname
   o  School
   o  Work
   o  Disclaimer
   o  Mail address(es)
   o  Phone number(s)
   o  Fax number(s)
   o  Pager number(s)
   o  Quote(s) from the poster
   o  Quote(s) from other people
   o  ASCII art pic(s)
   o  Border(s)
   o  PGP info
   o  Info about the poster's .plan
   o  Jokes
   o  Other info


   You might simply 'Figletize' your name, pop in your addy and a pic, and
presto, instant sig:


       |     'Go Johnny Go'       ||      ___|    joh...@foo.bar.edu
       |         |                ||     /                  _)  |    |
       |   _ \   __ \   __ \     \||/     __  \   __ `__ \   |  __|  __ \
   \   |  (   |  |   |  |   |    /()\          |  |   |   |  |  |    |   |
   ___/   ___/  _|  _| _|  _|    \__/    _____/  _|  _|  _| _|  __| _|  _|


   If you're going to have your sig automatically included in your posts and
email, remember that some systems only allow up to 4 lines in the sig.  For
info on how to have your sig automatically included, see Question 22.

   If you want to use a larger sig on systems that only allow 4 lines, you
will have to insert it manually.  On most Unix based systems, this is as eany
as pressing Control-R when you want to insert the sig, and then typing the
names (or full pathname) of the file to be inserted.

   Speaking of sig length, there is a Net rule of thumb of 4 to 6 lines.  Try
to keep sigs around this length for posts, reserving the long ones for email,
and post to the ASCII art groups, where it's expected.



    ___  ___                                                         /\O
   !_  )!_  )   __________________________________________________     |\/
    / /  / /    How do I have my sig                                   |
   /___!/___!   automatically added to my posts and email?           _/ \_


   For posts to newsgroups:

   On most Unix systems, name the file you want to be used as ".signature"
and put it in the top level of your home folder.  Your news software should
pick it up.  Note: some systems are set up to allow only four lines in a
posted sig.


   For email:

   On most Unix systems, name the file you want to be used as ".signature"
and put it in the top level of your home folder.  If you have done this for
the above use in news posts, you need to, in additon, do one of the following:

   o  If you're using Elm for your email, and elm doesn't pick up your sig,
      you need to put the following in ypur elmrc:

      localsignature = ~/.signature
      remotesignature = ~/.signature

      If you don't have an elmrc yet, go into Elm, press the 'o' key to get to
      the options screen.  Press the '>' to save your configuration.  Press
      'i' to go back to the index, and quit.  This will create the elmrc file
      in the .elm folder.

   o  If you're using Pine (with Pico) for your email, place the following in
      your .pinerc file:

      signature-file=~/.signature

   o  If you're using vm (in emacs) for your email, place the following in
      your .emacs file:

      (setq mail-signature t)


 ____________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                            |
|                         SIG LENGTH IN POSTS & EMAIL                        |
|   Note about sig usage: Try to use short sigs for posts to newsgroups.     |
|   If you have any long sigs, try to only use them for email and posts to   |
|   the ASCII art groups.                                                    |
!____________________________________________________________________________!



    ___  ____                                                           O  ,
   !_  )!__ /    __________________________________________________     |\/
    / /  !_ \                                                           |
   /___!!___/    How do I put an animation in my plan?                 /_\_


   On most Unix systems, name the file you want to be used as ".plan" and put
it in the top level of your home folder.  It does not work with all finger
commands.

   To test your 'planimation', finger your account with your full address, not
just your login.  For example, type "finger fo...@bar.edu" and not "finger foo".
Putting an animation in your plan is not universally recommended.

                                                                      ,
                                                                      \
    ___  _ _                                                           \O  ,
   !_  )| | !_   __________________________________________________     |\/
    / / !_   _!                                                         |
   /___!  !_!    What should I know about posting ASCII Art?          _/ \_


   You can post any of the following types of ASCII art to rec.arts.ascii or
alt.ascii-art or alt.binaries.pictures.ascii groups:

   o  All forms of ASCII art including:
      -  Standard ASCII art (line pics, 3-D, oversize printer art, GIFs, etc).
      -  Non-standard ASCII art (animations, color pics, color animations).

   o  Discussion about pieces of art.

   o  Requests for specific pieces of art, and their fulfillment.

   o  Questions and answers covering:
      -  Creating and viewing ASCII art.
      -  Locating FTP sites for ASCII art and related files.

   o  Discussion about artists in the field.


   Animations can also be posted to alt.ascii-art.animation.  3-D art can also
be posted to alt.3d.


   To make it easier for everybody, please put one of the following Subject
IDs at the beginning of the subject line of your post:

     LINE - Standard ASCII line art.  Line pictures and large lettering.
      GIF - Gray scale image.
      BIG - Wider than 80 columns (and optionally, longer than 24 lines).
ANIMATION - Animation.  Usually uuencoded.
    COLOR - Color.  Usually uuencoded.
      3-D - 3-D art.
  REQUEST - Request for a certain picture or type of picture.
   REPOST - Repost of a previously posted pic.
     TALK - Discussion, no pics included.
   BINARY - Binaries (software like Figlet and Gifscii).  Usually uuencoded.


   If you are following up a post, please change the Subject ID to reflect the
contents of the post.  This way if you are fulfilling a request, change:

   Request: Marilyn Monroe
     TO
   GIF: Marilyn Monroe

   This allows the readers the option of reading the group in a newsreader's
selector, sorted by articles.  They can then read only what is of interest to
them, trusting the IDs to accurately identify the contents.  Some people do
not have the time (or money if they are paying by the hour or byte) to read
everything in every group they like.


   Here are some guidelines:

   Posting to the ASCII groups:

   o  If someone requests a picture only days after it has been posted, and
      you would like to fill that request, please email the picture to the
      person requesting it.  It's better than reposting so soon.

   o  Try to eliminate unnecessary blank space to the left of the pic, and
      trailing space to the right.  This reduces waste.

   o  If you're posting a collection of pics, try to keep each pic on its own
      lines (and separated from other pics by a couple of lines).

   o  Replace tabs with spaces.  Otherwise tab damage can occur.

   When following up an article:

   o  Read all the articles in a thread before posting.

   o  Decide whether it's better to post or email your message.

   o  Check the attributions.

   o  Try to keep quoted materials to a minimum.

   o  Summarize where possible.

   o  Change the Subject ID.

   Most general Net guidelines for posting apply here too:

   o  Try to stay on topic (ASCII art).  It's easy to get sidetracked
      into other things, especially when a cross-posted thread gets going.

   o  If you disagree with somebody, disagree with what they have said, but
      don't flame them.

   o  Ask permission before quoting somebody's email message.

   o  Type your post in upper-and-lower case.  ALL UPPER CASE IS HARD TO READ.

   o  Cross-post an article instead of posting it separately to many
      newsgroups.  You cross-post by adding newsgroup names to the
      "Newsgroups:" line in the header (if you are using the editor in a
      newsreader).  Or by typing names when prompted in "Pnews".

      When you cross-post, only one copy is sent around.  And only one copy is
      kept on each machine.  And as a reader, you only see the cross-posted
      article once, no matter how many groups it was cross-posted to.

   If you're a new reader:

   o  Read the ASCII groups for a week or two to familiarize yourself with
      them before posting.

   If you're a new user:

   o  Familiarize yourself with the Net, it's customs, terminology and
      abbreviations.  Check out Net guidelines, posted in the newsgroup
      news.announce.newusers.


   One exception to the usual rules is the use of sigs.  Because the groups
rec.arts.ascii, alt.ascii-art and alt.binaries.pictures.ascii are about ASCII
art, it is within the scope of these groups to post longer sigs.

                                                                           ,
                                                                      \   /
    ___  ___                                                           \O/
   !_  )| __!    __________________________________________________     |
    / / !__ \                                                        _/\|/\_
   /___!!___/    Who made this FAQ?


   It is made by your old friend, the Scarecrow.  Materials for the ASCII ART
FAQ and-or ASCII Art Resources were gratefully received from the following
nice people:


                                  JORN BARGER
  _______________________        ROWAN CRAWFORD
 /                       \      NORMAND VEILLEUX
|    That's all folks!    |        GLEN A MILLER
| See ASCII Art Resources |        JUDY ANDERSON
|    for many examples.   |      MICHAEL A GODIN
 \___________________   _/     STEVEN M SULLIVAN
                     \ |           LARS ARONSSON
                      \|           CHRIS PIRILLO
                       \               CHEVALIER
                                     Q ALEX ZHAO
                                     DOV SHERMAN
                                      GREG GULIK
                                        A RICH
                                       C. GROOM
                                      MATT RYAN
                                      FELIX LEE
                                     PAUL KLINE
                                     R L SAMUELL
                                     DAVE VARONA
                                     NICK RUSNOV
                                     DON BERTINO
                                    TODD D. HALE
                                    PAUL FAWCETT
                                    MATT MESSINA
                                    RICHARD KIRK
                                   SIMON BRADLEY
                                   PAUL FOERSTER
                                   RIC HOTCHKISS
                                   WINSTON SMITH
                                   O'NEIL PARKER
                                   DUSTIN SLATER
                                   GLENN CHAPPELL
                                   DANIEL HOLDREN
                                   DAVID CONNELLY
                                  JOEL ROTHSCHILD
                                  BENJAMIN THOMAS
                                  BRIAN DEVENDORF
                                  EVAN M CORCORAN
                                 COLIN DOUTHWAITE
                                 MEINDERT DE JONG
                                 MATT E. THURSTON
                                 CHRISTOPHER KING
                                JONATHAN PETERSON



______________________________________________________________________________


    Version: 3.2
   Released: July 25, 1994
 Characters: 66755
      Lines: 1532
Comments To: bob...@wwa.com


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             END  O F   T  H   E     A   S  C  I  I   A  R T  FAQ
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From: bob...@wwa.com (Bob Allison)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.ascii,alt.ascii-art,alt.binaries.pictures.ascii,alt.answers,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: FAQ - ASCII Art Questions & Answers (3.2 - 66 K)
Followup-To: rec.arts.ascii
Date: 25 Jul 1994 21:53:19 -0500
Organization: WorldWide Access (SM) Chicagoland Internet Services 312-282-8605
Lines: 1539
Sender: bob...@gagme.wwa.com
Approved: new...@MIT.EDU, bob...@wwa.com
Expires: Mon, 01 Aug 1994 00:00:00 GMT
Message-ID: <311tqv$30...@gagme.wwa.com>
Reply-To: bob...@wwa.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: gagme.wwa.com
Summary: Where to FTP art, GIF->ASCII converters, how to make big letters.
Keywords: faq, ascii art
Xref: nntp.gmd.de rec.arts.ascii:1034 alt.ascii-art:12804 alt.answers:3822 rec.answers:6618 news.answers:25907
About this message. This message was posted publicly to the newsgroup alt.ascii-art in 1994 and is mirrored here unchanged as part of the Historic Archives – only email addresses are masked. The artwork and text belong to their original authors: if you copy a piece, keep the artist's initials or signature intact and credit them where you can. Are you the author? Contact us to get your posts attributed, connected to your artist profile, or removed.

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