Answer: Pixel Puzzle #248

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 = [
    "000000000000",
    "000000000000",
    "000100001000",
    "022222222220",
    "022230032220",
    "022242242220",
    "021222222120",
    "022222222220",
    "021220022120",
    "022200002220",
    "000000000000",
    "000000000000",
]
symbols = " #@*o"

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

When you run it, it prints:

   #    #
 @@@@@@@@@@
 @@@*  *@@@
 @@@o@@o@@@
 @#@@@@@@#@
 @@@@@@@@@@
 @#@@  @@#@
 @@@    @@@

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: 12 × white
• Row 2: 12 × white
• Row 3: 3 × white, 1 × green, 4 × white, 1 × green, 3 × white
• Row 4: 1 × white, 10 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 5: 1 × white, 3 × purple, 1 × white, 2 × white, 1 × white, 3 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 6: 1 × white, 3 × purple, 1 × navy, 2 × purple, 1 × navy, 3 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 7: 1 × white, 1 × purple, 1 × green, 6 × purple, 1 × green, 1 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 8: 1 × white, 10 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 9: 1 × white, 1 × purple, 1 × green, 2 × purple, 2 × white, 2 × purple, 1 × green, 1 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 10: 1 × white, 3 × purple, 4 × white, 3 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 11: 12 × white
• Row 12: 12 × white