Newbie..Where Do I Start??

Hi all..

I have a question.  I want to learn how to do ASCII art, but I don't
have a clue as to where to start!!  I have tried to make some on my own,
but i was wondering if there are any online tutorials to help a newbie
get going?

Thanks and Happy Holidays!!

Cindy Lou
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"Never try to leap a chasm in two jumps."

On Sun, 27 Dec 1998, Cindy Lou wrote:

> Hi all..
> 
> I have a question.  I want to learn how to do ASCII art, but I don't
> have a clue as to where to start!!  I have tried to make some on my own,
> but i was wondering if there are any online tutorials to help a newbie
> get going?
> 
> Thanks and Happy Holidays!!
> 
> Cindy Lou

Hi Cindy Lou:  welcome and have fun.  You can make a start by reading the
FAQ...posted often to this newsgroup...(go back into the earlier posts to
find it..may also be on the last couple of pages of posts in the
newsgroup.

Can also find it at:  http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/faq.htm.

I am also fairly new to this.  A nice bunch on this NG.  Feel free to post
pictures, ask for help and for comments...gj

--
Geraldine Jones & The Elder Three                     /\   /\     
Email:  we9...@victoria.tc.ca                         ( 0   0 )
Web Page:  http://www.victoria.tc.ca/~we993/          =  Y  =

>Message-id: <368...@bellatlantic.net>

>I want to learn how to do ASCII art, but I don't
>have a clue as to where to start!!

I really think the best way to start is to sit at
your computer and give it a try...  see what you
can create-- a face, a shape, whatever is near
your computer.

It is also helpful to look at as much ASCII art as
you can.  Try to analyze how the characters fit
together... maybe even copy a picture by hand.

I think that reading tutorials are helpful AFTER
you have tried it on your own... the lightbulb
brightens, so to speak...

The FAQ URL has been posted already...
read the FAQ and follow the links to
 tutorials-- everyone has their
own style.  Therefore, there are different
techniques to try.  My 'how to' is at:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/howto.htm
I also link to tutorials...

Have fun!
-joan
--
              |
            -=*=-         joan stark                m  w  n
      (| (}   |           spu...@juno.com        {) {\ {)
       |/||\        {\    ASCII Art Gallery        $_>&_>%_>
       | ||  ___o  /|/_   http://www.ascii-art.com  | \| \| \
  jgs  | ||  X--X   |__\                            |__\__\__\

.----- On Sun, 27 Dec 1998 14:07:39 -0500, Cindy Lou posted:
|Hi all..
|
|I have a question.  I want to learn how to do ASCII art, but I don't
|have a clue as to where to start!!  I have tried to make some on my own,
|but i was wondering if there are any online tutorials to help a newbie
|get going?
|
|Thanks and Happy Holidays!!
|
|Cindy Lou
'------------------------

Hi Cindy Lou, and welcome to ASCII art! Matthew Thomas has written a nice
guide to making a start in ascii art in the newsgroups' Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) list which he maintains. Here is a little extract from the
FAQ...

5.  How do I draw my own ASCII art?
-----------------------------------

    You don't need a special program to draw ASCII art with. It can be
    drawn using any text editor, such as SimpleText or BBEdit in MacOS,
    Notepad in Windows, nedit, vi, or pico in Unix, BEd or AZ in
    AmigaOS, edit in DOS, or any of the various Emacs editors. You can
    use a word processor to draw ASCII art, but remember: (1) use a
    fixed-width font [see Question 4]; and (2) using any special
    formatting (bold/italic/coloured etc) is a waste of time, as it
    will be lost when you post the picture.

    There are some features of editors and word processors which can
    help when drawing ASCII art.
    *   Overtype, also known as overstrike: removes the need for you to
        constantly realign characters using the Backspace, Space, and
        Delete keys. Try the Insert key if there is one on your
        keyboard, or look in your program's Options or Preferences. 
    *   Rectangular copy and paste: allows you to select rectangular
        sections of text (not just rows or parts of rows). On programs
        which have this feature, it is usually done by holding down a
        key such as Ctrl while selecting text.
    *   Find/Change: allows you to change all the characters of one
        value to another (eg change all the ~s to "s). 

    But before you start, a word about fonts. For ASCII art you should
    use a fixed-width font [see Question 4], because every type of
    computer system is guaranteed to have one, and that after all is
    one of the main reasons ASCII art exists -- because everyone can
    view it. Different fixed- width fonts do vary slightly in the
    height of the characters, but for most drawings this doesn't matter
    that much.

    DON'T try to post pictures drawn in a proportional-width (ie
    non-fixed-width) font: even if you specify the exact font you used,
    the chances of other people being able to read it are pretty slim
    (even `standard' proportional fonts such as Times New Roman can
    vary in width from computer to computer).

    The other thing to be aware of with fonts is the difference between
    serif and sans serif. Here's roughly how an `m' looks in both: 
    __ __   __        __   __
     |/  \ /  \     |/  \ /  \
     |    |    |    |    |    |
     |    |    |    |    |    |
    _|_  _|_  _|_   |    |    |

        Serif        Sans serif

    The serif version has little strokes, or serifs, at the end of most
    of the main strokes, while the sans serif version doesn't (sans
    means `without'). For example, Courier is a serif font, and Monaco
    is sans serif. This isn't often important, but if you're using a
    sans serif font, just remember to use the vertical bar (|, above \
    on most keyboards) to draw vertical lines, and not the capital i
    (I), otherwise it will look weird for people using serif fonts. It
    also means that you should think carefully before using characters
    like L and 7 for various corners -- they won't always look that
    good with a serif font.

    One way to make drawing ASCII art easier is to type a row of spaces
    for however wide you want your picture, and then copy this row and
    paste it for however many rows high you think your art will get.
    Then turn overtype on, stick your cursor somewhere in the middle,
    and you're ready to draw.

    If nothing springs to mind immediately, start with the ASCII art
    equivalent of the stick figure: 

     O
    /H\ Person
    / \ 

    Fiddle with it, and see what you can do... 

     A                   _              o           _
     O  Person wearing   O`            _O_         (< = Person about
    /H\ a dunce's hat   /H\ Professor  XHX Angel   /H-' to eat a
    / \                 / \            / \         / \  sandwich...?

    Gradually you'll be able to add things like  scenery around the
    person: 

     ___  ,---.
    / __\/---. ._,
     /  \@-.  -(_)-
         @     ' `    Person playing a banjo
        ,P            while sitting against a
        d'O_,         palm tree ...
    ____@/|/________
    ::::@\O_,:::::::
    ::::::::::::mt-3

    Draw your cat, your toaster, your musical instruments, your
    partner, anything that will sit still long enough -- practice
    makes, if not perfect, then at least pretty good. Whether you do
    small drawings (less work involved) or large ones (easier to make a
    drawing recognizable) is up to you.

    The things which give beginning ASCII artists the most trouble are
    usually diagonal lines and circles. Here are some lines of various
    angles:

    |   |   /      ,'      ,-'     _,-'
    |  .'  /     ,'     ,-'    _,-'
    |  |  /    ,'    ,-'   _,-'          __..--""
    | .' /   ,'   ,-'  _,-'      __..--""
    | | /  ,'  ,-'  ,-'  __..--"" _______________

    And here are a few circular shapes: 

                                           _____             __
                                        .-'     `-.       ,dP""Yb,
                                      .'           `.   ,d"      "b,
                                     /               \  d'    _   `Y,
                              _     ;                 ; 8     8    `b
                    __     ,'" "`.  |                 | `b,_,aP     P
            __    ,'  `.  /       \ ;                 ;   """"     d'
          .'  `. /      | |       |  \               /           ,P"
       _  |    | |      / \       /   `.           .'    a,.__,aP"
  . o (_) `.__.'  `.__.'   `.___.'      `-._____.-'       `"""''

    The spiral is a good example of *anti-aliasing* -- using the
    particular shape of some characters (especially b, d, and P) to
    smooth the edge of a solid shape.

    A final point: don't use the Tab key. Pressing Tab will go along a
    certain number of spaces in your editor/word processor -- but that
    `certain number' is different for different newsreaders, editors,
    and so on, so your picture may suffer from what is known as `tab
    damage' when other people try to view it. Just use spaces instead.

    [See Question 12 for links to other tutorials on drawing ASCII
    art.]

This is just a small extract from the group's main FAQ list. There are
several other documents written by newsgroup regulars past and present which
may help you. I also strongly recommend reading the entire FAQ before
posting, since there are a few things you need to know about posting to this
newsgroup and other important info.  Here's one of the documents for you,
the documents list :o)



             __  __   ____    __  ___  __ __ __      __  ___  ____
            (  )(  ) (_  _)  (  )/ __)/ _|  |  )___ (  )(  ,)(_  _)
            /__\ )(__  )(  _ /__\\__ ( (_ )( )((___)/__\ )  \  )(
           (_)(_|____)(__)(_|_)(_|___/\__|__|__)   (_)(_|_)\_)(__)
                  ___   __   __ _  _ __  __ ___ _  _ ____ ___
                 (   \ /  \ / _| )( |  \/  | __| \( |_  _) __)
                  ) ) | () | (_ )()( )    ( )_) ).`(  )( \__ \
                 (___/ \__/ \__)\__/(_/\/\_|___|_)\_)(__)(___/

If you are new to alt.ascii-art, or ascii art in general, there are a few
                       documents you should see.
  They are posted regularly on alt.ascii-art - some more regularly than
     others. Many of them can also be found on the World Wide Web.

[FAQ] New to ascii art? Read me first!
-------------------------------------
   * Author: Matthew Thomas
   * Poster: Krogg or Colin Douthwaite
   * Regularity: Every week
   * Web: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/faq.htm

      This file is the Frequently Asked Questions list for the ascii art
     newsgroups alt.ascii-art, alt.ascii-art.animation and rec.arts.ascii.
      It is essential reading for anyone new to these newsgroups,
     especially if you are going to ask a question or request something.


Ye olde Scarecrow ascii art FAQ
---------------------
   * Author: Scarecrow
   * Poster: Colin Douthwaite
   * Regularity: Every month
   * Web: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/bafaq.htm

      This is a copy of the last Ascii Art FAQ posted before Bob Allison 
     (Scarecrow) retired as Moderator of the newsgroup "rec.arts.ascii"
     in June 1996.

Ye olde technical ascii art FAQ
---------------------
   * Author: Jorn Barger
   * Poster: Colin Douthwaite
   * Regularity: Every month
   * Web: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/jorn.htm

      This is the original ascii art FAQ list and goes into more technical
     details than the current FAQ.


Warning: Control Codes
----------------------
   * Author: Colin Douthwaite
   * Poster: Colin Douthwaite
   * Regularity: Every month
   * Web: none

      This document lists the things that you are not allowed to post on
     alt.ascii-art.  Please read before posting any art to alt.ascii-art.



All you need for ASCII Art: Monospaced Fonts, Text Editors and ASCII Utils!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   * Author: Martin Atkins
   * Poster: Martin Atkins
   * Regularity: Every week
   * Web: http://voices.vossnet.co.uk/a/atkins/minifaq.htm

      Here you will find listings of the things you need to view and create
     ascii art.  Please read if you are looking for an ascii art utility
     or program, and if you don`t find your answer here ask in the
newsgroup.


TUTORIAL: Make a start in ASCII Art
-------------------------------------
   * Author: Daniel Au
   * Poster: Colin Douthwaite
   * Regularity: Every Month
   * Web: none

      If you would like to get into the creation of ascii art, then this
     file will help you get started, listing all of the techniques and
     tricks that you can use to make good art.


ASCII ART NOT LOOKING RIGHT? READ THIS!
---------------------------------------
   * Author: Martin Atkins
   * Poster: Martin Atkins
   * Regularity: Every Week or so :o)
   * Web: not yet

      Is the ascii art in this group looking all munged up and messy? Can
     you not tell what any of the pictures are? Do you like rhetorical
     questions? This document guides you through the steps to being able
     to view ascii art correctly in your newsreader.


Copyright FAQ
-------------
   * Author: Pete Casso
   * Poster: Pete Casso
   * Regularity: Every Week
   * Web: not known
      
      Like any other artwork, copyright applied to ASCII Art. This document
     is about copyright.


ESSENTIAL READING FOR ALL NEW TO ALT.ASCII-ART!
-----------------------------------------------
   * Author: Martin Atkins
   * Poster: Martin Atkins
   * Regularity: Hey, you`re reading it!
   * Web: not yet

      This is the document you are reading now, listing all of the
     documents about ascii art.

Have a read of these documents. If you have trouble getting hold of any of
them, I have most of them to hand if you email me at 
mart. ---> atkins@ ---> bigfoot. ---> com  (stick it back together - spam
protection) and I`ll send you a copy of the ones I have.
Don`t just hit reply... the reply address is invalid.

I hope this helps,
-Martin
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|                :: |            ASCII Gallery asciiart.htm
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  /_______________\  Merry Christmas to All!
  |_______________|  and a happy new year too....
If you are new to the newsgroup, please read our FAQ list - 
             posted weekly and on the web at
      http://vibes.vossnet.co.uk/i/ighaig/ascfaq.htm