The Joy of ASCII Brings Back Two Vintage Art Projects in One Video

By: Andrew Sztein - Feb 26, 2013
References: squirrel-monkey & laughingsquid
If the late Bob Ross ever explored making computer art on his classic show 'The Joy of Painting,' then I must have missed that episode.

This fun video from Squirrel Monkey explores the fine art of creating images in ASCII format. The Joy of ASCII brings back Ross from the dead, pixelated afro and all, as he shares a slew of tips for making computer art using the vintage format. For the uninitiated, ASCII computer art is the practice of creating images with tightly packed text to create an overall image.

It's actually pretty compelling to watch an image come together block by block, and it gives an appreciation for more advanced computer art that works on a similar concept of building an image one pixel at a time -- the only difference with the modern example is that it's made of way more block,s making much more detailed images.