textpaint.com

TextPaint gives you a character-based canvas with drawing tools (pencil, paint bucket, line, text input, image-to-ASCII), layout controls (resize, shift, flip, rotate), character-level editing (find & replace, character picker, area select), and formatting safeguards such as highlighting wide or odd-width characters and monospace font choices. These features matter most when you want to build ASCII art quickly and keep it aligned when pasted into another site or file.

Drawing and decorating the canvas

The sidebar holds the tools you use to put characters on the canvas:

• Pencil – draw freehand with whatever character you have selected.
• Paint Bucket – fill closed areas instantly with a chosen character.
• Text Input – type text and convert it to ASCII art, then place it anywhere on the canvas.
• Draw Line – create straight or shaped lines in different styles.
• Image to ASCII – upload an image and convert it into character art.
• Merge two texts – combine two text files into one.

You are not limited to classic keyboard symbols: the canvas accepts ASCII, Unicode, emojis, or any characters you like. Text and background colors can be adjusted while editing, so you can preview contrast before exporting.

Layout controls: resize, shift, flip, rotate

As your artwork grows, the canvas can be resized and shifted. Additional settings below the main tools let you rotate or mirror the artwork with a click. This is useful when you sketch a shape in one orientation and want to test a mirrored or rotated version without redrawing it.

Editing characters without redrawing

• Select Area – highlight part of the workspace to copy, delete, or move it.
• Character Picker – grab any character already on the canvas and reuse it.
• Find & Replace – swap characters instantly by choosing what to find and what to replace it with.

These three cover most correction work: fixing a repeated symbol, moving a block of art, or reusing a character style you already like.

Formatting safeguards

ASCII art breaks when character widths are inconsistent. TextPaint addresses this in two ways:

The site also advises using monospace fonts when displaying ASCII art elsewhere, so the alignment you see in the editor survives on other websites.

Exporting the result

When the artwork is finished, export it as a text file, HTML, or a JavaScript string. Copy, paste, and merge are also available for moving work between projects. No account or install is needed—the tool runs in the browser.

A practical workflow: open a demo from the sidebar, pick a character and font, sketch with the pencil or drop in an image, then run find & replace and check the wide-character highlight before exporting.

To turn an image into ASCII art in TextPaint, open the Image to ASCII tool from the sidebar, upload your image, and let the tool convert it into character art on the canvas. When you're satisfied with the result, export it as a plain text file, HTML, or a JavaScript string. If you also want to combine two existing pieces, use Merge two texts to join two text files into one. For the artwork to display correctly on other websites, view it in a monospace font such as Courier or Lucida Console.

TextPaint runs in the browser with no account or install required, so you can start from a demo in the sidebar and experiment before committing to a final piece.

Convert an Image to ASCII Art

What you need first

• An image file you want to convert.
• A browser session on TextPaint (no signup or installation per the site).
• A rough idea of the canvas size you want, since the converted art will sit on the canvas you're working on.

Steps

1. Open the Image to ASCII tool from the sidebar. The sidebar is where TextPaint groups its tools, including Pencil, Paint Bucket, Text Input, Select Area, Character Picker, Find & Replace, Draw Line, Image to ASCII, and Merge two texts.
2. Upload your image through the Image to ASCII tool. The tool converts the image into character art placed on your canvas.
3. Adjust the canvas as needed. Canvas features let you resize and shift the canvas as your art grows, and you can flip or rotate the artwork with a click.
4. Tidy the result with editing tools. Use Select Area to highlight parts of the workspace to copy, delete, or move; use Find & Replace to swap characters instantly; use the Character Picker to grab any character from the canvas and reuse it.
5. Check formatting risks. TextPaint can highlight characters that might break formatting, such as wide or odd-width ones. Fix or replace these before exporting if the art will be displayed elsewhere.

Expected result: your uploaded image appears as character-based art on the canvas, editable with the same tools used for hand-drawn ASCII art.

Common sticking points

• Wide or odd-width characters can misalign the art when pasted into other sites. Use the formatting warning highlight and replace problem characters.
• Font choice matters. Pick a clean monospace font; the site notes Courier or Lucida Console work best. Non-monospace fonts will distort the alignment of character art.
• Canvas size limits detail. If the converted art looks cramped or too coarse, resize the canvas and re-check the result.

Merge Two Text Files into One

If you have two pieces of text-based art or text files and want a single combined work, use Merge two texts in the sidebar. It combines two text files into one, which is useful when you've created parts of a design separately or want to assemble a larger composition from existing pieces.

After merging, you can still use Select Area, Find & Replace, and the shift/rotate/mirror settings to align the combined result.

Export Your Artwork

When the canvas looks right, export it in one of three formats:

The export options are listed among the canvas and sidebar settings. Before publishing anywhere, confirm the display font is monospace so the art keeps its shape across websites.

Quick Checklist Before You Export

• The image conversion or merged text looks correct at your chosen canvas size.
• Wide or odd-width characters flagged by the tool have been reviewed.
• A monospace font (Courier or Lucida Console) is selected for display.
• You've chosen the export format that matches where the art will live: text file, HTML, or JavaScript string.

TextPaint is aimed at people making retro-style designs, forum signatures, and creative projects, and the same workflow applies whether you start from an uploaded image, a merged text file, or freehand drawing with the Pencil and Paint Bucket tools.

Open TextPaint in your browser and start drawing right away—no account, install, or special skills are needed. The fastest way to learn the tools is to open a demo from the sidebar and experiment with the paint tools on the canvas. Everything below works on that same canvas, using ASCII characters, Unicode symbols, or emojis as your "paint."

Before You Start

• No setup required: TextPaint runs in the browser with no signup.
• Pick a canvas size and font first: The sidebar lets you choose the canvas size and font style. Use a monospace font such as Courier or Lucida Console so your art displays correctly on other websites.
• Know the layout: The sidebar holds all the tools and settings; the canvas is where you draw.

Core Drawing Tools

Pencil

Use the pencil to draw freehand with whichever character you have selected. This is the basic brush for sketching shapes, filling in areas by hand, or placing individual symbols.

Paint Bucket

The paint bucket fills closed areas instantly with any character you choose. Draw an outline first, then fill the inside in one click—useful for blocking in large regions without drawing each character.

Text Input

Type text and TextPaint converts it into ASCII art, which you can place anywhere on the canvas. This is the quickest way to add words or labels to a design.

Select Area

Highlight part of your workspace to copy, delete, or move it. Use this to rearrange sections of a drawing or duplicate a motif.

Character Picker

Grab any character already on the canvas to reuse it. Handy when you want to repeat a symbol without hunting for it on your keyboard.

Find & Replace

Swap characters instantly: choose what to find and what to replace it with. This makes quick global tweaks, such as changing a fill character across the whole piece.

Draw Line

Create straight or shaped lines in different styles—useful for borders, frames, and structure.

Image to ASCII

Upload an image and convert it into character art. A good starting point if you want a base to refine with the pencil and paint bucket.

Merge Two Texts

Combine two text files into one, for example to bring together separate parts of a project.

Adjusting and Finishing Your Artwork

The settings below the main tools let you refine the result:

• Shift, rotate, or mirror the text on the page.
• Adjust text and background colors while editing.
• Resize and shift the canvas as your art grows.
• Watch for the formatting warning: TextPaint highlights characters that might break formatting, such as wide or odd-width ones. Check these before sharing.
• Export your work as a text file, HTML, or a JavaScript string when you're satisfied.

A Simple First Exercise

1. Choose a canvas size and a monospace font in the sidebar.
2. Select the pencil and pick a character.
3. Sketch a simple outline, then switch to the paint bucket to fill it.
4. Use text input to add a word or label, and select area to reposition it.
5. Export as a text file to check how it looks.

Common Sticking Points

• Art looks misaligned elsewhere: You're likely not using a monospace font. Stick to Courier or Lucida Console.
• Fill spills outside the shape: The paint bucket needs a fully closed area; check for gaps in your outline.
• Odd characters break the layout: Use the formatting warning to spot wide or odd-width characters before exporting.

Once you're comfortable with these tools, the sidebar's dedicated feature pages explain each one in more detail.

ASCII art is visual design made from keyboard characters—letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbols—arranged so that the text itself forms an image. It is used for retro game graphics, forum signatures, terminal banners, creative projects, and any situation where plain text must carry a visual idea. TextPaint (textpaint.com) is a browser-based editor for making this kind of art with ASCII, Unicode, or emoji characters; it requires no account or install according to the site.

How ASCII art works

Each character occupies a fixed-width cell in a monospace font, so a grid of characters behaves like a grid of pixels. Density and shape of the chosen characters create light, shadow, and outline. For example, a portrait might use @ and # for dark areas, + and : for midtones, and . for highlights. The same principle underlies the Image to ASCII feature in TextPaint, which converts an uploaded image into character art.

The main constraint is the font: if the display font is not monospace, columns drift and the picture breaks. TextPaint's feature list includes a warning that highlights characters which may break formatting, such as wide or odd-width ones, and recommends Courier or Lucida Console.

What people use it for

• Retro and game-style visuals — the site notes ASCII art has been used since early computing, including retro computer games.
• Forum signatures and online identity — small character drawings that fit in text-only spaces.
• Terminal and plain-text contexts — banners or logos where images cannot be embedded.
• Creative and decorative projects — the editor supports Unicode and emoji, so designs are not limited to the classic keyboard set.
• Converting existing images — turning a photo or logo into character art via the Image to ASCII tool.

Deciding whether a character-based tool fits your task

Trying it without commitment

TextPaint's page describes a sidebar with a pencil, paint bucket, text input, area select, character picker, find & replace, line drawing, image-to-ASCII, and a merge-two-texts tool, plus shifting, rotating, mirroring, font choice, and canvas resizing. Finished work can be exported as a text file, HTML, or a JavaScript string. The site states no accounts and no installs are needed and that it runs in the browser; it does not state pricing terms, so treat cost and any limits as unconfirmed until you check the site directly.

A practical first test: open a demo from the sidebar, draw a few characters with the pencil, then use Find & Replace to swap one symbol for another and see how the image changes. If the result looks right in a monospace preview, export it and check it in the place you actually plan to display it.

TextPaint is a browser-based editor for drawing with text. You use ASCII characters, Unicode symbols, emojis, or any character you choose to paint on a canvas, much like pixel art made from symbols. It requires no account and no installation: you open the site, pick a character, and start drawing. It suits anyone who wants to make traditional ASCII art or modern Unicode-based character designs without design software.

What you can make with it

TextPaint covers both classic and contemporary text art:

• Traditional ASCII art built from letters, numbers, punctuation, and keyboard symbols.
• Unicode and emoji designs that go beyond the standard keyboard.
• Text-based graphics for forum signatures, retro-style projects, or creative experiments.

The site describes the process as similar to pixel art, except every "pixel" is a character you choose.

The drawing tools

The sidebar holds the main tools. You can try each one directly or read its dedicated page on the site.

Below these are additional settings for shifting text on the page, rotating or mirroring the artwork, choosing a font style, and setting the canvas size.

Canvas features worth knowing

• Draw with any character, emoji, or symbol.
• Adjust text and background colors while editing.
• Resize and shift the canvas as the artwork grows.
• Flip or rotate the whole piece with one click.
• Copy, paste, export, and merge separate projects.
• Highlight characters that may break formatting, such as wide or odd-width ones.
• Choose from clean monospace fonts; the site notes Courier or Lucida Console work best.

Exporting your work

When the artwork is finished, you can export it as a plain text file, as HTML, or as a JavaScript string. The site recommends displaying ASCII art in monospace fonts so it renders correctly on any website.

Who it is for

The site lists its audience broadly: hobbyists making forum signatures, people creating retro-computing-style visuals, and anyone experimenting with character-based design. Because there is no signup and everything runs in the browser, it also works well for quick one-off pieces where installing software would be overkill.

Getting started

Open a demo from the sidebar and experiment with the paint tools. If you are new to the format, start with the Pencil and a single character, then try the Paint Bucket to fill enclosed shapes. Use Image to ASCII when you want to convert an existing picture rather than draw from scratch.