Of recent times, more so in 1997 than in other years, some people have come to the conclusion that the ANSI scene is dead, and well, that it sucks. This conclusion has been partly theorized on the basis that Bulletin Board Systems are dying and the web is taking over. This article will attempt to pull all these different opinions together, and present the overall status of the scene today.

Where did it begin?

ANSI really began when in the 80's someone found a way of making bulletin board systems a little more appealing to the public, and therefore draw more attention. This was done by enabling Bulletin Board System software to use a code, the American National Standard Institute (ANSI), which enables ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) to be colored. Popular use of this medium revolves around the 'full block' character, and various forms of it. This is still how ANSI, at its basics, is made today..

Why did you start?

A majority of artists today would have been introduced to ANSI either by a friend, or by viewing ANSI on a bulletin board system, in turn perhaps downloading an art pack from that Bulletin Board System. The budding artist was drawn in by the colors, the sharpness, and in the late 80's, early 90's, probably the novelty.

The late 80's were a time of experimentation, a time of "pioneers" (as inazone of iCE puts it), the people of AAA, and other "old school" groups. Overall however, the main reason these groups existed back then was to fill a need, a need for colorful blocks for the Bulletin Board System arena, nothing else.

But let's get into "reality", where "real" artists paint with oils, water colors, etc. If you ask these people why they indeed paint on canvases for the better part of 3 months, they'll reply, "Because it's what I love to do". Back in the ANSI fantasy land, this should also ring true. Take a long hard look at an ANSI picture, say of something like a Comic Book Character, something which in all entirety is 100-300 lines long (your ms-dos screen X 6 lengths). A picture of this enormity takes an artist an excruciatingly long time to accomplish, often having to redo areas many times to attain the right proportions and realism.

An artist will put time and effort into something, not for the money, not for a Bulletin Board System which will probably go down in two weeks, but for their own personal betterment. This is something all artists around the world strive for..

Welcome to the net..

In 1993, or around that time, the World Wide Web (WWW) suddenly crept into the public world. Soon, everyone was connected to the net, it was the "in-thing", the place to be, and be "seen". This had a rather dramatic affect on the Bulletin Board System scene, as now users, the Bulletin Board System's customers as such, could now download the latest files and information from the net. The service was fast, accessible, and virtually free.

With Bulletin Board Systems falling down left, right and center, many artists found themselves in a panic, and from that day on, artists have been haling downfall of the art form known as ANSI.

This proposition seems a little long winded. Did oil paintings suddenly vanish when computer-generated art became of age?

No.

Did classical music suddenly cease to exist when pop music became popular?

No.

The reason age old forms of art still exist is that people still hold a passion for them. The same can be said for ANSI art. People have been saying for a few years now that ANSI is a dead form of art, but still people are drawing it, new groups sprout up all the time, and even the European scene is now flourishing, and its most highest point. ANSI is certainly not dead..

ANSI as a hobby?

A hobby is defined in the Macquarie Dictionary as "a spare-time activity or past-time". ANSI must now be seen a hobby, something which it always has been, or at least should have been.

Not too many ANSI artists make a living off drawing ANSI, if any do they must draw 24 hours a day, which is quite improbable. This takes us back to the point made earlier, artists draw for the pleasure of creating, not the money(!) or the prestigious "fame".

ANSI art should come from the heart, not because of the need. The need should come from not Bulletin Board Systems, but the need of the scene.. The scene will live on with new talent, and people willing to draw for themselves, for the sake of just drawing art..

Be an artist..

dangermouse..

References:

Inazone, Article in "Fistful of Steel", Issue #02.
Little Macquarie Dictionary, Macquarie Library, 1996.