Targon's ASCII Art Tutorial


   Note: some of the directions apply only to the GEnie computer service.

   Punch Art is not as hard as you would think if you prepare your canvas
   first. Here are some tips that might help.


   1. I start my canvas by selecting this topic from aladdins j 
      screen and selecting R to reply.
   2. When the reply screen is open I draw a line from the left boarder 
      to one space from the right boarder.
   3. Then I hit return 20 times and draw another line at the bottem of 
      the screen.

                                  (like so)

   -------------------------------------------------------------------
   (press return)     { use the space bar to move the cursor to here !)
   (press return)
   (repeat above 20 times)        (you are doing this because the cursor
                                    can not be moved where it has never
                                     been before.)




                           (bottom line)
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

   4. Then I return the cursor to the first line and use the space bar 
      to move the cursor to one space from the end of the line.
   5. I use the arrow key to move the cursor down to the next line. It 
      will automatically go to the beginning of the line. I then
      use the space bar to move it to one space from the end of the line.
   6. I repeat this until I reach the line I drew at the bottom of the 
      canvas.

    Once this is done your canvas is ready. You can now use the arrow
   keys to move your cursor anywhere you want and you are ready to
   begin your drawing.

   7. To draw on the canvas, I press the insert key to go into typeover 
      mode. This is important so that when you enter characters,
      your cusor does not insert spaces.
   8. If you make a mistake and want to erase a character just use the 
      arrow key to move the cursor back to the character and use
      your space bar to erase it. (Do not use the backspace key or the
      delete key to correct mistakes. They will change the spacing)
                   -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

                            TIPS

   If you are drawing an animal or a person, start with the eyes then
   the nose and the mouth. Then draw the head. You will be able to
   judge the size the body needs to be from the head.

   Get familiar with the position of the following keys on the screen.

           [ ] ( ) . ` , ' ; : \ / | " ^ < >   - _ = ! ~

   Notice that they have all been typed on the same line, however they
   are positioned at different hights. You can use combinations of
   these keys to draw angles, slants, and sometimes circles.

              \             /        \_     `-._      (increasing the
               \           /           \_       `-._   amount of the _
                \         /              \             can change the
                                                       angle.)

                                        `----.______
                                                    `------


                                 ,----.
                               ,"      ",
                               "        "
                               "        "
                               `.      ,'
                                 `----'


   The following keys make good eyes, fingers, or toes.

                            o O  0 ( ) c C

           eyes ---->    0 0   or (0) (0)    or   o o or (o) (o)

           toes ----->    Oooo    or  Cooo

   If you get to the bottom line of your canvas and your picture is not
   finished, you can expand the canvas by hitting enter as many times
   as you need and using the space bar to prepare the canvas as you did
   when setting it up.


   If you cannot complete your drawing in one setting, type control k
   and then w. A window will open and ask you for a file name. Name the
   file. Then type ctrl a to abort the reply.

   When you're ready to resume the drawing, open the reply window from
   the j screen, then type control k and then r. When prompted for a
   file name, enter the name of your picture. It will be loaded back
   into the reply screen and you can continue.

   You can also use the above method to save a blank canvas after you
   prepare one. Then you don't have to make a new canvas for every
   drawing.

   Remember that every key on the key board can be used. Some of them
   make good shading keys. Such as @@@@@@@@@  or  ######
                                   @@@@@@@@@      #####
                                    @@@@@@@       #####

   Don't be afraid to try different key combinations. If they don't
   work, experiment.

   Don't worry about pictures that don't work. I have many failures. It
   dosn't take long to realize you can't make a drawing work. I just
   give up on them.