Keyboard art, also known as ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) art, is a fun and creative art form that you can create by using keyboard keys to form an image. Sounds easy, huh? In fact, it can be very easy or extremely difficult depending on the layout you want. A simple design can be quite an enjoyable task, while a complicated and difficult design to complete can be very satisfying and could even be called a “work of art.” But before you can get started on this, you need to know a thing or two. Here are some keyboard layout instructions that you should know before you get started.

First of all, you can’t use just any font for keyboard art. The type of font you use must have a fixed width, which means that its letters and characters take up the same amount of space, no matter how thick or thin they are. One of the most used fonts in keyboard art is Courier. Having a fixed width keeps the keyboard keys in proportion to each other and makes imaging much easier.

Now that you’ve chosen your fixed-width font, the next art instructions for your keyboard are: Think of a layout you want to make. A beginner should probably start with small, simple concrete images, such as shapes and cartoons. Once you get the hang of it, you can move on to larger, more complicated designs like people and even landscapes. A drawing of the image can help you to better visualize this art. Black and white images work best for this. You can also view online examples to help you with the best keys to use in building your own image. Just use an online search engine and type “keyboard art” or “ASCII art” and many samples will appear.

Now that you are ready to write your keyboard layout, start with a small corner of the whole image. Think of that little part divided into lines and curves. Visualize which keys would best fit the part and experiment with different characters and letters. Then continue to fill in the edges of your image. Be careful with your proportions; you don’t want the image to look crooked, and you need to have enough space within your image’s shell for the inner part. If you are making a cartoon of an animal’s face, for example, you need to make sure you have enough room for the eyes, nose, and mouth. A useful instruction is to frequently zoom out to see the image you are forming on a smaller scale. This would help you to see if the image you are making is correct or not.

Once you have completed the corners of your image, you can proceed with filling the inside of your keyboard layout. Again, experiment with various keys to fill in the details. The letter “o” for the eyes, for example, is an easy choice, so why not try a letter “a” or even an “e”? There really is no right or wrong choice of keys to make this art, it all depends on the vision you have of your image. Refine and work on it until you are satisfied with the results.

And tada! Now you have your own keyboard layout. Now you can post it online, share it with friends, and even include it in your email signature. But it can’t stop there, so the most important instruction in keyboard art is: practice, practice, practice! There are so many creative designs that you can do. You can even incorporate words, quotes, and even poems into your art, although this is a more advanced form of keyboard art; You will probably need more instructions on keyboard layout before you can create these complicated images.

There are actually sites online where you can generate keyboard art just by uploading the image you want and then voila! You have your keyboard art. But of course, this particular shape isn’t that fun or satisfying compared to the following instructions here. Isn’t it much more satisfying to know that you’ve created an art for yourself? Like a painter creating his own unique works rather than simply copying someone’s style and form. And it’s definitely a lot more fun this way.

Okay, one last keyboard art instruction: have fun doing it! The possibilities are endless. There may be days when it seems like you can’t form anything at all, and there may be days when you’re so inspired that you create amazing pieces, well that’s the nature of art. You can even print out your keyboard layout and frame it to hang in a favorite spot. Develop your own unique style and be proud that you can now create your own “work of art.”