Answer: Pixel Puzzle #336

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 = [
    "0000000000000000",
    "0000000000000000",
    "0010000000000100",
    "0222000000002220",
    "0121100000011210",
    "0010003003000100",
    "0010104004010100",
    "0111010000101110",
    "0011111111111100",
    "0010001221000100",
    "0011111111111100",
    "0011111001111100",
    "0011111001111100",
    "0001121001211000",
    "0000010000100000",
    "0000000000000000",
]
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: 16 × white
• Row 2: 16 × white
• Row 3: 2 × white, 1 × red, 10 × white, 1 × red, 2 × white
• Row 4: 1 × white, 3 × purple, 8 × white, 3 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 5: 1 × white, 1 × red, 1 × purple, 2 × red, 6 × white, 2 × red, 1 × purple, 1 × red, 1 × white
• Row 6: 2 × white, 1 × red, 3 × white, 1 × white, 2 × white, 1 × white, 3 × white, 1 × red, 2 × white
• Row 7: 2 × white, 1 × red, 1 × white, 1 × red, 1 × white, 1 × navy, 2 × white, 1 × navy, 1 × white, 1 × red, 1 × white, 1 × red, 2 × white
• Row 8: 1 × white, 3 × red, 1 × white, 1 × red, 4 × white, 1 × red, 1 × white, 3 × red, 1 × white
• Row 9: 2 × white, 12 × red, 2 × white
• Row 10: 2 × white, 1 × red, 3 × white, 1 × red, 2 × purple, 1 × red, 3 × white, 1 × red, 2 × white
• Row 11: 2 × white, 12 × red, 2 × white
• Row 12: 2 × white, 5 × red, 2 × white, 5 × red, 2 × white
• Row 13: 2 × white, 5 × red, 2 × white, 5 × red, 2 × white
• Row 14: 3 × white, 2 × red, 1 × purple, 1 × red, 2 × white, 1 × red, 1 × purple, 2 × red, 3 × white
• Row 15: 5 × white, 1 × red, 4 × white, 1 × red, 5 × white
• Row 16: 16 × white