Frequently Asked Questions:

Where do you get your ideas from?
Sometimes I see a tree, or window in a church, or something when out walking my dog, or the way the light falls on an object and this gives me an idea. I like to carry my small pocket digital camera around with me as it is great for snapping reference photos. Also I always have scrap of paper to hand for sketching ideas down on. For example below left is an unusual tree I saw while out walking my dog in woodland. The branches crossed over and looked to me like part of a star shape. From this I got the idea of doing my forest pentagram dragon, where the branches form a magical star shape that has attracted the attention of a small forest dwelling dragon. Maybe my brain works in an unusual way but when I looked at this tree I just saw the picture!

Some subjects are requested by a company and then I have to think of a good way to make a new artwork from a classic theme like an angel or a unicorn. I always try and bring something unique to my art in the design of the picture and the style of the character, but most importantly of all I paint from the heart.

How do you paint your pictures?
First is to come up with the idea of what to paint. I often spend a lot of time thinking about a picture before I ever put pen to paper. Once I have the idea worked out on my head I prepare a sketch to finalise the layout.

Above left you can see my initial rough sketch for my Dragon Lord artwork. These are just lose lines to establish the pose of the dragon and where the different elements of the picture will go. Next I add some shading to work out the contrast, and then I begin to add some colour. This is all done quite roughly to work out the image as a whole before I start on any fine details. For this artwork I also designed the stained glass window that helps to tell a little of the story. It shows the glory of times past with a nobel lord and large dragon in the motif. Perhaps the small dragon we now see is a descendant of this great beast come back to claim the skull of his long dead master?

The details can really make the image and give the viewer more interest, and I spent some time on this picture on scales and cobwebs! I think the expression on the face is critical to a good image. I often spend a large proportion of the time getting this just right, whether it be a beautiful girl or a snapping dragon. You can see a larger image of this picture in the Gothic section here

As well as scenes I very much enjoy creating designs. Below is a simple but hopefully effect artwork called Gothic Prayer. There are repeating shapes in the design that hold the different elements together and add to the strength of the overall design. I have highlighted these recuring shapes in green and red below so you can see clearly where they are. The nose, hands, beads and cross line up and, with the addition of the horizontal lines in the hood, make a cross shape (shown centre in green). This mirrors the shape of the actual cross. There are two triangles within the design, formed by the hood and the hands (shown on the right in green and red). I have the idea of how this will work before starting on the image and again produce a sketch to refine the composition before embarking on the detailed version of the art.

Did you always want to be an artist?
Yes. My parents were extremely long suffering as even when I was a small child I was continuously pursuing art or craft projects. If you practise anything for long enough you are bound to get better! It is a real pleasure to be able to bring fantasy subjects to life and share a mythical world with other people.

What is your real name?
Anne Stokes is my real name given to me by my parents when I was born. It never occurred to me to use something different. Various people have asked me if I chose the name Stokes to go with Bram Stoker who wrote Dracular! No, that was not the case. Anne is pronounced "An". So half of the letters in my first name are actually unnessecary, but it is a short name and I like to hang onto them ;)

Can I have one of your pictures tattooed on?
Yes, if you would like one of my artworks permanently displayed on your body then be my guest! I would love to see the end result so please email me a photo. Below is a photo of a tattoo of one of my paintings from James Hughes in Canada. The piece was done by tattoo artist Paul Gobet @ Infliction Tattoos. Thanks James for sending it :) You can see more on my "Tattoos" page here

Can I use your art on my web site?
Not all the artwork that I produce remains my copyright. For the paintings that have © Anne Stokes in the text undernether them please send me an email asking for permission. If it is for non-profit making, non-commercial purposes and is part of a gallery this will be ok, although I would ask you to credit me as the artist and add a link to my site. Please do not chop up the art, alter the colour or mix it with another persons work. For the other images that are now copyright of the companies that commissioned them you will have to direct your enquiries to the company that owns the rights.

Can I use your work in our signature tags and to make email stationary?
Not all the artwork on this site remains my copyright. You can use images that have copyright Anne Stokes in the text below them. This permission is for fun personal use only and not for tags or any other files that are intended for sale. Please clearly credit myself as the original artist with a link to this web site on the tags. Please do not mix it with another persons artwork. Please do not colour in sketches or alter the colours of the art as then it will no longer be my art and won't be yours either. Please do not chop it up and remove the backgrounds. You can add text and frames. Sparkles and some small animations are fine to add also.

How can I earn my living as an artist?
The first and most important thing is to actually try. There are a lot of people who would like to do this, and many other things in life, but don’t ever actually try to do them. The only way to fail for sure is not to try. Practise as much as you can and get some commissions, however small, as a way to learn. Do what the client asks you to and do it on time. A good site which provides free hosting and an opportuniy to show some of your images to the world is Devaint Art. I post there under the name Ironshod http://ironshod.deviantart.com