# ASCII Art

> Monospaced keyboard symbols form volume through density on a clear white grid, creating a coarse terminal-image character.

[Web page](https://aistylebook.com/image/ascii-art/)

## About this style

Monospaced keyboard symbols sit on a regular grid, using character density to build tone. Readable glyphs up close merge into a coarse image from a distance.

ASCII art maps tonal values to the coverage of equal-spaced glyphs.

Dense hashes for hair and sparse punctuation for cheeks can resolve into a portrait when viewed from farther away.

### How the style changes different subjects

- **Portrait**: Character density rebuilds face and hair, favoring tonal shape over fine features and skin color.

- **Landscape**: Fixed character grids simplify buildings, trees and terrain, merging small details.

- **Object**: Sparse or empty cells supply highlights, while tiny object lettering may disappear.

**Subjects**: Choose close portraits, buildings, silhouettes or single objects with simple backgrounds and clear tones.

## Visual keywords

Monospaced characters · Regular grid · Glyph density · Terminal texture · Coarse grain

## Names and related terms

Character art

## Style examples

- [Portrait](https://img.aistylebook.com/reference-assets/20018-img_large.avif?v=1184c2acb80f86df)

- [Landscape](https://img.aistylebook.com/reference-assets/20019-img_large.avif?v=a6fffb3606e0951c)

- [Object](https://img.aistylebook.com/object-assets/80018-large.avif?v=188023414d67b79d)

## Reusable style prompt

```text
Construct the subject on white using clearly separated monospaced keyboard symbols, all placed on a regular grid at a uniform size. Individual characters must remain recognizable. Describe contours, tones, and space through differences in symbol stroke density, arrangement, and blank cells, simplifying detail to character resolution. Make the result resemble a coarse terminal image composed entirely of symbols, without an underlying photograph or smooth shading.
```

## Photo creation and prompts

Photo generation requires an account and credits; the cost is shown before generation.

[Create with this style](https://aistylebook.com/photo.html?style=20018&lang=en#studio)

## Related styles

- [Binary Digit Art](https://aistylebook.com/image/binary-digit-art/): Both build forms from monospaced characters; this variant limits them to 0 and 1 with pink, green and black zones.

- [One-Bit Dither](https://aistylebook.com/image/one-bit-dither/): Both synthesize gray from discrete black-white units, using pixels in dithering.

- [Line-Screen Halftone](https://aistylebook.com/image/line-screen-halftone/): Both organize tones through unit density, using continuous horizontal lines in line screens.

- [2D Pixel Sprite Art](https://aistylebook.com/image/2d-pixel-sprite-art/): Shares grid-based reconstruction and limited tonal steps.

- [Calligram Word Art Poster](https://aistylebook.com/image/calligram-word-art-poster/): Both construct an image from characters; calligrams use varied letterforms instead of a limited monospace set.

## References

- [Processing: AsciiVideo example](https://github.com/processing/processing-video/blob/main/examples/Capture/AsciiVideo/AsciiVideo.pde)