A new array P system called 8-directional array P system is defined in this paper. The regulated evolution of this new model is capable of generating interesting pictures in its accepting mode of evolution. The relationship between the family of regulating languages of 8-directional array P system and the family of λ-free regular, contextfree, context-sensitive languages is investigated. In the case of RE, the simulation result requires λ-labeled rules. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.