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
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