By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · · How we review content
Key facts
- ASCII art is pictures and lettering drawn with text characters. Strictly it uses only the 95 printable ASCII characters, though everyday use also covers Unicode symbols, block characters and Braille dots.
- ASCII is a 1963 character code that defined 128 characters: 33 control codes and 95 printable characters.
- ASCII art lines up only in a monospace font, where every character has the same width.
- In Discord, Slack and WhatsApp, three backticks around a piece keep it aligned, and a piece under about 30 to 40 characters wide fits a phone screen.
- Every piece in the galleries was drawn for this site, except a few tiny traditional pieces such as
<3and the rose@}->--that have circulated for decades with no known author. - Screen readers read ASCII art as a stream of punctuation or skip it, so give the meaning in words too.
What counts as ASCII art?
ASCII is the 1963 character code that defined 128 characters: 33 control codes and 95 printable characters, the letters, digits, space and punctuation still on an English keyboard. ASCII art is anything drawn with those characters. Typewriter artists made pictures from typed characters long before computers, and early computer users kept the habit because printers and terminals could only show text.
Today the term is used loosely. Most “ASCII art” you see mixes in other characters:
| Kind | Characters | Works in |
|---|---|---|
| Pure ASCII | `/ \ | _ ( ) @ # *` |
| Unicode text art | Adds symbols such as ♡ ᴥ ✿ |
Phones and modern computers |
| Block art | █ ▓ ▒ ░ ▀ ▄ |
Most fonts; good for solid shapes |
| Braille art | ⠁ ⣿ and the rest of U+2800 to U+28FF |
Fonts with Braille Patterns; very detailed |
How do I keep it from breaking when I paste it?
Every piece here lines up only in a monospace font. Each gallery card has a Code block button that wraps the art in three backticks for Discord, Slack and WhatsApp, and shows how wide the piece is so you can pick one that fits a phone screen (under about 30 to 40 characters).
Where should I start?
- Want a piece to copy? Open a gallery such as cat ASCII art, with one-line cat faces, small cats for chats and bigger cats in boxes, or heart ASCII art, from
<3to big text hearts for messages and code blocks. - Want your words as a banner? The ASCII art generator turns text into banners in 32 FIGlet fonts and copies them plain or as a Discord code block.
- Want to convert a photo? The image to ASCII converter makes ASCII or Braille dot art in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
- Want frames and separators? Use ASCII borders for boxes around text and ASCII dividers for separator lines.
- Want to learn the craft? Read what is ASCII art for its history and how to make ASCII art for hand-drawing and tools.
Who made the pieces in these galleries?
The pieces in these galleries were drawn for this site. A few very small pieces, such as <3 and the rose @}->--, have been shared online for decades with no known author; we mark those as traditional. Pieces in the “Made with our image converter” groups were made by drawing a simple shape and running it through our image to ASCII converter, which you can use on your own pictures to make your own ASCII art.
Frequently asked questions
Basics
What is ASCII art?
Pictures and lettering drawn with text characters. Strictly it uses only the 95 printable ASCII characters, the letters, digits and punctuation on an English keyboard; in everyday use the name also covers art that adds Unicode symbols, block characters or Braille dots.
What is the difference between ASCII art and Unicode text art?
Pure ASCII uses only the 95 printable keyboard characters and works everywhere, including terminals and plain email. Unicode text art adds symbols such as ♡ and ✿, block art uses █ ▓ ▒ ░, and Braille art uses the U+2800 to U+28FF patterns. The extra characters need a font that has them.
Why are some pieces marked traditional?
A few very small pieces, such as
<3 and the rose @}->--, have been shared online for decades with no known author, so we mark them traditional instead of claiming them. Everything else was drawn for this site. We do not host art copied from other artists.Where it works
Can I use the art on this site?
Yes. Pieces drawn for this site can be used in posts, chats, code, cards and personal projects; a link back is appreciated. Pieces marked traditional have been shared for years without a known author. We do not host art copied from other artists.
Which galleries are there?
There are galleries for birthdays, bunnies, cats, Christmas, dogs, flowers, Halloween, hearts, one-line pieces, roses, skulls, stars and trees. Each gallery groups its pieces, and every card has a copy button and a code block button, so you can take a piece as plain text or ready for a chat app.
Where can I find borders, dividers and big text?
Use ASCII borders for boxes around your own words, with 12 border styles, alignment and padding, ASCII dividers for 20 styles of separator line, and the big text generator for block-character banners with five fill styles. Box lines beyond plain dashes come from Unicode's box drawing characters.
How it works
Why does ASCII art break when I paste it?
It needs a monospace font, where every character has the same width. Chat apps, social networks and word processors usually use proportional fonts, so the spaces shrink and the lines drift apart. Paste into a code block (three backticks in Discord, Slack and WhatsApp), a terminal, a plain text file, or set the font to Courier New or Consolas.
What does the Code block button on a gallery card do?
It wraps the piece in three backticks, which Discord, Slack and WhatsApp display in a monospace font so the lines stay aligned. The card also shows how wide the piece is in characters, so you can choose one that fits a phone screen before you copy it.
How do I make ASCII art from my own words?
Type the text into the ASCII art generator, compare the 32 FIGlet fonts and copy the banner plain or as a Discord code block. You can also download it as a .txt file for a README or a plain text post. For a picture rather than lettering, use the image to ASCII converter.
Tips & limits
Is ASCII art accessible?
Not on its own. Screen readers read it as a stream of punctuation or skip it. Use it as decoration and give the meaning in words too, for example in alt text or the sentence next to it. A long block of punctuation is the worst case, because the reader hears every character.
How wide should a piece be to fit a phone?
Aim for under about 30 to 40 characters, which is why each gallery card shows its width. Wider pieces wrap or scroll sideways on narrow screens, and a wrapped line destroys the picture. If a piece you like is too wide, pick a smaller one from the same gallery.
Which kind of ASCII art works best in a bio or chat?
Pure ASCII works everywhere, so it is the safest choice. Unicode text art works on phones and modern computers. Block art suits solid shapes in most fonts, while Braille art is very detailed but needs a font with Braille Patterns. Keep it small and test it in the app where it will be seen.