I remember thinking those ACiD and iCE artists were godlike. The illustrations in those packs still look amazing today, even if you forget how many limitations they were operating under.
Indeed. When all I knew was text mode I envied graphics, but the reality was that true artists were making amazing art just with text and colors (and even just text and no colors!).
The C64 PETSCII scene is also amazing. It still exists!
I'll never tire of the aesthetic of the scene.
Here's a quasi-relevant free book: https://punctumbooks.com/titles/warez-the-infrastructure-and...