Answer: Pixel Puzzle #394

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",
    "0010101001010100",
    "0011111001111100",
    "0000101001010000",
    "0011102002011100",
    "0013314004133100",
    "0031311001131300",
    "0013311001133100",
    "0011111001111100",
    "0000111001110000",
    "0001133113311000",
    "0000001001000000",
    "0011013003101100",
    "0010000000000100",
    "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 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × white, 1 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 4: 2 × white, 5 × teal, 2 × white, 5 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 5: 4 × white, 1 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × white, 1 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 4 × white
• Row 6: 2 × white, 3 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × white, 2 × white, 1 × white, 1 × white, 3 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 7: 2 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × red, 1 × teal, 1 × navy, 2 × white, 1 × navy, 1 × teal, 2 × red, 1 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 8: 2 × white, 1 × red, 1 × teal, 1 × red, 2 × teal, 2 × white, 2 × teal, 1 × red, 1 × teal, 1 × red, 2 × white
• Row 9: 2 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × red, 2 × teal, 2 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × red, 1 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 10: 2 × white, 5 × teal, 2 × white, 5 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 11: 4 × white, 3 × teal, 2 × white, 3 × teal, 4 × white
• Row 12: 3 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × red, 2 × teal, 2 × red, 2 × teal, 3 × white
• Row 13: 6 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × white, 1 × teal, 6 × white
• Row 14: 2 × white, 2 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 1 × red, 2 × white, 1 × red, 1 × teal, 1 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 15: 2 × white, 1 × teal, 10 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 16: 16 × white