TextPaint - Create ASCII Art with Characters Online

Text Paint is an online tool for drawing with text. You can draw, shape, and decorate your canvas using ASCII, Unicode, emojis, or any characters you like. It's a bit like pixel art, but made entirely out of symbols. No accounts, no installs - just a canvas and your creativity.

TextPaint ASCII art editor interface

What is ASCII Art?

ASCII art is a type of visual design created using characters from the standard keyboard: letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbols. It's been around since the early days of computing and still thrives today - from retro computer games and forum signatures to modern creative projects. With TextPaint, you can create both traditional ASCII art and modern Unicode-based designs with ease. Open a demo from the sidebar and start experimenting with the paint.

ASCII art example

Getting Started with TextPaint

You don't need any special skills to begin. Here are some of the tools available in the sidebar. Try them or read more about each feature on their dedicated pages:

Pencil - draw freehand with any character you selected
Paint Bucket - fill closed areas instantly with any character
Text Input - type text to convert it to ASCII art and place it anywhere on your canvas
Select Area - highlight parts of your workspace to copy, delete, or move around
Character Picker - grab any character from the canvas to reuse
Find & Replace - swap characters instantly by choosing what to find and what to replace it with
Draw Line - create straight or shaped lines with different styles
Image to ASCII - upload and convert an image into character art
Merge two texts - combine two text files into one

Even more settings available under these in the sidebar where your can shift text on the page, rotate or mirror. Pick the font style and the canvas size to work on.

Export your artwork into a text file, HTML format or as a Javascript string when you're satisfied with the result. Make sure to use monospace fonts to display ASCII art to make sure it works on every website.

Canvas Features

🖌️ Draw with any character, emoji, or symbol
🎨 Adjust text and background colors while editing
↔ Resize and shift the canvas as your art grows
🔄 Flip or rotate your artwork with a click
🔍 Search and replace characters for quick tweaks
📋 Copy, paste, export, & merge different projects
⚠️ Highlight characters that might break formatting (like wide or odd-width ones)
🅰️ Choose from clean, monospace fonts (Courier or Lucida Console work best)

TextPaint is designed to be fast, flexible, and fun. Whether you're just doodling or planning something elaborate, it stays out of your way and lets you focus on creating.

No sign-up or login required
No installations - it runs entirely in your browser
Works on desktop, laptop, and tablets
Supports both classic ASCII and modern Unicode character sets
Use it for fun, memes, coding headers, pixel-style art, or educational projects
Stand out in comment sections or in social media bios.

FAQs

💬 Can I use my own characters?: Yes - just type them in, paste them, or pick them from the canvas or character palette.
💾 How can I save or export my work?: You can export as plain text, HTML, or JavaScript. There's also a share button for sharing your work through a weblink.
📱 Does it work on mobile?: TextPaint works best on larger screens like desktops and tablets. It does support touch, but full functionality is easier to use with a mouse.
🖼️ Can I turn images into ASCII art?: Yes! Use the image converter to upload a picture and generate stylized ASCII art with custom character palettes.

Who Uses TextPaint?

People use TextPaint for many different things:

🎮 Gamers and modders adding personality to games or profiles
💻 Developers putting ASCII banners in code
🖋️ Artists and designers exploring text as a medium
📚 Teachers and students learning digital creativity
🙂 Anyone who enjoys messing around with characters

Ready to Start?

Scroll up to the canvas and give it a try. No pressure. You can experiment, create something fun, or just play around. Whether you're designing a pixel-perfect layout or typing your name in block letters - it's all about what you make of it. Please contact us or use the comment section below if you have any question or just want to say hi.