Archive-name: ascii-art-faq
Posting-Frequency: Weekly
Last-modified: 1994/07/06
Version: 2.9


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   +   .  /_/ '/_//______//_____//_____//_____/ './_/ /_//_/ * \_ ' /_/   '
.       +___________________ . ___________________ ' ___________________  '  `
    '   /                  / ./                  /. /                  /' .
    *  /__________________/' /__________________/  /    _________     /  .   (
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.+   _______________   .   ___________________ ' /    /   `    /    /   '
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'  /    __________/  ' . /    _________     /  /    /'.    /\/    /     (
' /    /     .          /    /  .     /    / '/    /______/      /  :   `.
 /    /     ( '      ' /    /  . +   /    /. /                  / .    '
/____/   .     `      /____/.       /____/  /________________  /           `
Version 2.9          July 6, 1994         boba@gagme.wwa.com \/       .
       .                       `       *                          .
          .                         `                                    .

  .


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


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


______________________________________________________________________________


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



    __
   /_ |
    | |
   !___!  What is ASCII art?

   An image that can be sent over the Net, received     A B C D E F G H I
and immediately viewed on any standard terminal         J K L M N O P Q R
type or communications software, and can be printed      S T U V W X Y Z
on any printer.                                         a b c d e f g h i
                                                        j k l m n o p q r
   This requires the image be made by using only         s t u v w x y z
letters, numbers, punctuation marks and symbols
such as those at the right.                            1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

   These characters are part of the ASCII (American    \ | - _ + % @ < ; !
Standard Code for Information Interchange) set.        = # . , : > ( ] / $
                                                       ^ ' ` " ~ ) [ { } ?
   This part of the ASCII set, called the
'printable' set, is used for text files,             Standard 'printable set'
which is what is sent over the Net.                    of ASCII characters.


    ___
   !_  )
    / /_
   /____!  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.

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

   o  Gray scale pictures - 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 an 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 GIF,  988NMMf<!!~`"!Rk:X!"""#*N!:~!T588 !
      using Gifscii for the Mac.      "R(#MF `<      "!!~     ~<9XN#88XX<:
      See ASCII Art Resources          "%/9" x~       :L       XH?R?M888x%
      for more examples.                xi/ ~M:u::~  <88>x<:<uuUF<~*"<?8!~
                                       X38M::#M88R::d<88k9bxH888f4r o<<Ri
      Darker    .'`,^:";~             '!88N!!X6?M&i8#<88Rt88NMR9%!!'8:<?8!
        /\      -_+<>i!lI?              #R?<:~B:M88~ 488H~"88XM8~ ~HRtxH#
       /||\     /\|()1{}[]           +++x8!:<'8!@8!.  ""!:.#8M8# ~<!@!M?::
        ||      rcvunxzjft           -<!#\x~:.?<M~ <<::;;>> ?%8xx!:i:`MHbLX
       \||/     LCJUYXZO0Q            :*:!!:nM.~!~`<<! <`~" d<?98NHRNi!?888eu.
        \/      oahkbdpqwm            ` `xH98MN.      '~~:. ?:x888!888xd88888f
      Lighter   *WMB8&%$#@             :@8R?R?88ex  .xuux98  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 '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 three:

   o  Picture Stories - A story told with accompanying ASCII pictures.  The
      text and ASCII graphics are usually intermixed, as above where the
      picture of Einstein and text about gray scale pics are side by side.

   o  Geometric Articles - Text itself is formed into shapes.

   o  Picture Poems - Geometric Articles that are also poems.

   See ASCII Art Resources for examples.

   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'.  See Question 4 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
   Many lines    M;2XN+BXN+R\N+B\O+BXN+BXN+R\N+B\O+BXO+RXO+RXN+B\O+BXN+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 last two types of ASCII art are:

   o  ASCII animations - 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 - 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.

   Examples are in ASCII Art Resources.

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

      Filename.vt.tar.Z.uu
         |     |   |  | |
         |     |   |  | |__ For uuencode, may also be 'uue', and may also
         |     |   |  |     be 'xx' or 'xxe' for xxencode.
         |     |   |  |__ For Unix Compress, may also be .gz, .zip, or others
         |     |   |__ Means the file is in a tape archive format, and that
         |     |       a number of animations have been packed together
         |     |       for transport.  The file must be untarred.
         |     |__ As in VT terminal (such as VT-100 terminal emulation)
         |__ File name


    ____
   !__ /
    !_ \
   !___/  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, regardless of
      the actual width of the characters.  So the letters i and m are
      displayed at the same characters per inch.  If you are viewing with a
      mono-spaced font, the following two lines should be the same length:

      iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
      mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

   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 capable printer.

   There are a couple of 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  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 look shorter top to bottom.  Even though
      it contains the same number of lines.

      See ASCII Art Resources for an aspect ratio chart.


    _ _
   | | !_
   !_   _!  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'.

   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.


    ___
   | __!
   !__ \
   !___/  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.  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 line      This slanted line      This slanted line is
      is simply made with    is made with , and '   more of a stairstep,
      the / character.                              made with , and - and '

   o  Then there's smoothing.  Turn the object on the left into the one on the
      right by using characters for their shapes.  Notice how the sides on the
      object are curved using the d b and Y.  The 8 is a popular character for
      a general fill.  Some people prefer M or H for fills.

                          XXXX                 d88b
                        XXXXXXXX             d888888b
                       XXXXXXXXXX           (88888888)
                        XXXXXXXX             Y888888Y
                          XXXX                 Y88Y

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

      Notice how there are four nice tonalities.  There's the dark with spaces,
      a dark quarter tone with the :, a mid tone with the /, and a 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.

:::::::::::::::// ::// :://////// ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::://///////// // ://// ::::// :::://////////////// :::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::://///// ::/ ::// ::::://////////////////// :/ ::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::://///////// :::::::/ ////////////////////// :::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::://///////// ::::::::://////////////////////// / :::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::////////// :::::::::::// //////////////////// / :::::::::::::::::
:::::::##### ::#### //#### ::##### ::##### :#### :##### ///#### / ## :## :## :
:::::## :::::## ////## :## :## :## :## ://## ///:## :## /## :## :## :## :## ::
:::::#### ::## :://###### :##### ::#### /## ///:##### ::## :## :## :## :## :::
:::::::## :## ::::## :## :## ## ::## ///## ///:## ## ::## :## :## :## :## ::::
::##### :::#### :## /## :## :## :##### /#### :## :## ::#### :::######## ::::::
::::::::::::::::://////// ::::::::::://///// ::::::::::/ ::::// ::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::://////// :::::::::::////// :::::::::::::::::// :::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::://///// :::::::::::////// / :::::::::::/// / ::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::///// ::::::::::::://// / :::::::::://///// ::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::://// :::::::::::::::// :::::::::::://////// ::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::// :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::// :/// :/ ::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::/ ::::::::boba@gagme.wwa.com ::::::::::::/ ::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

   Here are a couple of 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.

   See Question 8 for info about the file 'asciitech.aa'.  Send any ASCII art
techniques you know to: boba@gagme.wwa.com.


     __
    / /_
   |  _ \
    \___/  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.


    ____
   !__  |
     / /
    /_/   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


    ___
   ( _ )
   / _ \
   \___/  Where can I find ASCII art?

   You can FTP ASCII art (single pics and archives of dozens or hundreds of
images) from many sites, including these:

      ->  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

                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

                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 5 megabytes, 2000 + 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: listserv@ukcc.uky.edu
       Message: subscribe asciiart

   ASCII Art Resources contains a longer list of sites.  And it tells you
which sites have animations and lineprinter art.

   If you need more technical info about ASCII art, get Jorn's file called
'asciitech.aa' in Jorn's 'ascii-art' folder at his FTP site.  His site also
has many files of ASCII art.

   Chris and Steve's sites have Steve Sullivan's many files of ASCII art
called Small ASCII Pics.  They are available separately, or all together in a
tar.Z file.  Don't miss 'em.

   Jorn and Chris' FTP sites also have the big Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archives.
The Scarecrow's archives contain hundreds of pieces of art, special sections
on sig and plan art, graphics form BBS login and server screens, fonts, GIF
conversions, and more.

   These sites also have a file called the Most Often Requested Edition.  It
contains the pics that people request the most on the group.  It has pics for
wishing friends a happy birthday, Star Trek, flowers, dragons, hearts, cows,
Winnie the Pooh, etc.

   There's also ASCII Art Resources (containing complete examples of all forms
af ASCII art, plus ANSI escape codes, and examples of Figlet fonts).  You'll
also find the Scarecrow's separate files of humor, sigs, GIFs, fonts, BBS art,
etc. (which are listed in the answer to Question 9).


    ___
   / _ \
   \_, /
    /_/   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 boba@gagme.wwa.com with the subject ||
          \||/                                                 \||/
           \/                                                   \/

      File Name                        Version   Size    Subject line

   o  ASCII ART FAQ                        2.9 - 44 K    REQUEST FAQ
   o  ASCII Art Resources                  2.9 - 99 K    REQUEST RESOURCES

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

   o  The Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archive    1.0 - 349 K   REQUEST SAAA 1.0
   o  The Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archive    2.0 - 362 K   REQUEST SAAA 2.0
   o  The Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archive    3.0 - 369 K   REQUEST SAAA 3.0
   o  The Scarecrow's ASCII Art Archive    4.0 - 364 K   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):

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

   The Scarecrow's recommendations:

   o  If you're short on disk space, I would suggest you save this FAQ and get
      just those files containing the type(s) of art you are interested in.

   o  If you have a bit more disk space, you may want to save this FAQ or get
      ASCII Art Resources, and the Best of the SAAAs.

   o  If you have some disk space to spare, you should get the ASCII Art
      Resources file, and all of the SAAAs.  Over 1.5 megs of art and info.
      You'll be an ASCII art expert and collector, instantly!

   ASCII Art Resources contains descriptions of the above 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.


    _   __
   / | /  \
   | || () |
   !_! \__/  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 site listed in Question 11.  There are over
30 fonts for use with Figlet.  Figlet fonts have a .flf suffix.  There are a
number of examples of Figlet fonts in the ASCII Art Resources file.

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


    _   _
   / | / |
   | | | |
   !_! !_!  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.

   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 4.


    _   ___
   / | !_  )
   | |  / /
   !_! /___!  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 (ver 0.5) by Shi Y Chen.


    _   ____
   / | !__ /
   | |  !_ \
   !_! !___/  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

                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 boba@gagme.wwa.com with the subject ||
          \||/                                                 \||/
           \/                                                   \/

      File Name                                       Subject line
   o  Gifscii for the Mac                             REQUEST GIFSCII MAC
   o  Gifscii source code                             REQUEST GIFSCII SOURCE


    _   _ _
   / | | | !_
   | | !_   _!
   !_!   !_!   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: boba@gagm.wwa.com


    _   ___
   / | | __!
   | | !__ \
   !_! !___/  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.


    _    __
   / |  / /_
   | | |  _ \
   !_!  \___/  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'       ||      ___|    johnsmith@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 17.

   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 (except to the ASCII groups, where
it is appropriate), reserving the big ones for email.


    _   ____
   / | !__  |
   | |   / /
   !_!  /_/   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, which will add the .signature file:

      (setq mail-signature t)

   One 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.


    _   ___
   / | ( _ )
   | | / _ \
   !_! \___/  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 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 foo@bar.edu' and not 'finger foo'.
Putting an animation in your plan is not universally recommended.


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

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

   Here are some guidelines for 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.

   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're a new user, familiarize yourself with Net guidelines posted
      in news.announce.newusers.

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

   o  Check the attributions.

   o  Try to keep quoted materials to a minimum.

   o  Summarize where possible.

   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 sigs.


    ___   __
   !_  ) /  \
    / / | () |
   /___! \__/   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
                                      MATT RYAN
                                        A RICH
                                       C. GROOM
                                      FELIX LEE
                                     PAUL KLINE
                                     R L SAMUELL
                                     NICK RUSNOV
                                     DON BERTINO
                                     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: 2.9
   Released: July 6, 1994
 Characters: 44133
      Lines: 1039
Comments To: boba@gagme.wwa.com


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