Answer: Pixel Puzzle #214

The hidden picture is a pixel creature!

The picture as Python

Here is the same picture stored as numbers in a Python list. The program reads each number and prints a symbol for it, so you can see the picture appear in the Python shell.

picture = [
    "0000000000",
    "0001001000",
    "0011001100",
    "0112112110",
    "0003113000",
    "0011111100",
    "0001111000",
    "0011001100",
    "0000000000",
    "0000000000",
]
symbols = " #@*"

for row in picture:
    line = ""
    for number in row:
        line = line + symbols[int(number)]
    print(line)

When you run it, it prints:

   #  #
  ##  ##
 ##@##@##
   *##*
  ######
   ####
  ##  ##

Squashing the picture smaller

Computers often save space with a trick called run-length encoding. Instead of storing every pixel, they count how many of the same colour are in a row. Here’s this picture written that way:

Show the run-length code

• Row 1: 10 × white
• Row 2: 3 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × white, 1 × teal, 3 × white
• Row 3: 2 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 4: 1 × white, 2 × teal, 1 × white, 2 × teal, 1 × white, 2 × teal, 1 × white
• Row 5: 3 × white, 1 × navy, 2 × teal, 1 × navy, 3 × white
• Row 6: 2 × white, 6 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 7: 3 × white, 4 × teal, 3 × white
• Row 8: 2 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 9: 10 × white
• Row 10: 10 × white