How else can it be done? Any attempt to convert images or text into ASCII art automatically looks at best uninspired and boring and at worst like trash.
That's exactly what I'm saying. Using pre-made characters looks cheap. Good enough for a 13-year-old’s geocities website, not good for something pretty.
How else can it be done? Any attempt to convert images or text into ASCII art automatically looks at best uninspired and boring and at worst like trash.
I think "by hand" implies making ascii art in a text editor, rather than in a dedicated drawing tool that lets you paint characters etc.
That's exactly what I'm saying. Using pre-made characters looks cheap. Good enough for a 13-year-old’s geocities website, not good for something pretty.
There was an app for MacOS...7? I think. It was called ASCIIPaint, and it allowed you to draw these pictures using a mouse.