diff --git a/examples/axes_grid1/simple_anchored_artists.py b/examples/axes_grid1/simple_anchored_artists.py
index 3d0527298a4c..4db864d0ee07 100644
--- a/examples/axes_grid1/simple_anchored_artists.py
+++ b/examples/axes_grid1/simple_anchored_artists.py
@@ -3,18 +3,29 @@
 Simple Anchored Artists
 =======================
 
+This example illustrates the use of the anchored helper classes found in
+:py:mod:`~matplotlib.offsetbox` and in the :ref:`toolkit_axesgrid1-index`.
+An implementation of a similar figure, but without use of the toolkit,
+can be found in :ref:`sphx_glr_gallery_misc_anchored_artists.py`.
 """
+
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 
 
 def draw_text(ax):
+    """
+    Draw two text-boxes, anchored by different corners to the upper-left
+    corner of the figure.
+    """
     from matplotlib.offsetbox import AnchoredText
+    # loc=2 is equivalent to loc='upper left'
     at = AnchoredText("Figure 1a",
                       loc=2, prop=dict(size=8), frameon=True,
                       )
     at.patch.set_boxstyle("round,pad=0.,rounding_size=0.2")
     ax.add_artist(at)
 
+    # loc=3 is eqivalent to loc='lower left'
     at2 = AnchoredText("Figure 1(b)",
                        loc=3, prop=dict(size=8), frameon=True,
                        bbox_to_anchor=(0., 1.),
@@ -24,7 +35,10 @@ def draw_text(ax):
     ax.add_artist(at2)
 
 
-def draw_circle(ax):  # circle in the canvas coordinate
+def draw_circle(ax):
+    """
+    Draw a circle in axis coordinates
+    """
     from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.anchored_artists import AnchoredDrawingArea
     from matplotlib.patches import Circle
     ada = AnchoredDrawingArea(20, 20, 0, 0,
@@ -35,8 +49,10 @@ def draw_circle(ax):  # circle in the canvas coordinate
 
 
 def draw_ellipse(ax):
+    """
+    Draw an ellipse of width=0.1, height=0.15 in data coordinates
+    """
     from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.anchored_artists import AnchoredEllipse
-    # draw an ellipse of width=0.1, height=0.15 in the data coordinate
     ae = AnchoredEllipse(ax.transData, width=0.1, height=0.15, angle=0.,
                          loc=3, pad=0.5, borderpad=0.4, frameon=True)
 
@@ -44,9 +60,11 @@ def draw_ellipse(ax):
 
 
 def draw_sizebar(ax):
+    """
+    Draw a horizontal bar with length of 0.1 in data coordinates,
+    with a fixed label underneath.
+    """
     from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.anchored_artists import AnchoredSizeBar
-    # draw a horizontal bar with length of 0.1 in Data coordinate
-    # (ax.transData) with a label underneath.
     asb = AnchoredSizeBar(ax.transData,
                           0.1,
                           r"1$^{\prime}$",
@@ -56,13 +74,12 @@ def draw_sizebar(ax):
     ax.add_artist(asb)
 
 
-if 1:
-    ax = plt.gca()
-    ax.set_aspect(1.)
+ax = plt.gca()
+ax.set_aspect(1.)
 
-    draw_text(ax)
-    draw_circle(ax)
-    draw_ellipse(ax)
-    draw_sizebar(ax)
+draw_text(ax)
+draw_circle(ax)
+draw_ellipse(ax)
+draw_sizebar(ax)
 
-    plt.show()
+plt.show()
diff --git a/examples/misc/anchored_artists.py b/examples/misc/anchored_artists.py
index 8bd9dc7103b6..22f35d312465 100644
--- a/examples/misc/anchored_artists.py
+++ b/examples/misc/anchored_artists.py
@@ -3,8 +3,15 @@
 Anchored Artists
 ================
 
+This example illustrates the use of the anchored objects without the
+helper classes found in the :ref:`toolkit_axesgrid1-index`. This version
+of the figure is similar to the one found in
+:ref:`sphx_glr_gallery_axes_grid1_simple_anchored_artists.py`, but it is
+implemented using only the matplotlib namespace, without the help
+of additional toolkits.
 """
 
+from matplotlib import pyplot as plt
 from matplotlib.patches import Rectangle, Ellipse
 from matplotlib.offsetbox import (
     AnchoredOffsetbox, AuxTransformBox, DrawingArea, TextArea, VPacker)
@@ -18,27 +25,34 @@ def __init__(self, s, loc, pad=0.4, borderpad=0.5,
                          child=self.txt, prop=prop, frameon=frameon)
 
 
-class AnchoredSizeBar(AnchoredOffsetbox):
-    def __init__(self, transform, size, label, loc,
-                 pad=0.1, borderpad=0.1, sep=2, prop=None, frameon=True):
-        """
-        Draw a horizontal bar with the size in data coordinate of the given
-        axes. A label will be drawn underneath (center-aligned).
+def draw_text(ax):
+    """
+    Draw a text-box anchored to the upper-left corner of the figure.
+    """
+    # loc=2 is equivalent to loc='upper left'
+    at = AnchoredText("Figure 1a", loc=2, frameon=True)
+    at.patch.set_boxstyle("round,pad=0.,rounding_size=0.2")
+    ax.add_artist(at)
 
-        pad, borderpad in fraction of the legend font size (or prop)
-        sep in points.
-        """
-        self.size_bar = AuxTransformBox(transform)
-        self.size_bar.add_artist(Rectangle((0, 0), size, 0, ec="black", lw=1.0))
 
-        self.txt_label = TextArea(label, minimumdescent=False)
+class AnchoredDrawingArea(AnchoredOffsetbox):
+    def __init__(self, width, height, xdescent, ydescent,
+                 loc, pad=0.4, borderpad=0.5, prop=None, frameon=True):
+        self.da = DrawingArea(width, height, xdescent, ydescent)
+        super().__init__(loc, pad=pad, borderpad=borderpad,
+                         child=self.da, prop=None, frameon=frameon)
 
-        self._box = VPacker(children=[self.size_bar, self.txt_label],
-                            align="center",
-                            pad=0, sep=sep)
 
-        super().__init__(loc, pad=pad, borderpad=borderpad,
-                         child=self._box, prop=prop, frameon=frameon)
+def draw_circle(ax):
+    """
+    Draw a circle in axis coordinates
+    """
+    from matplotlib.patches import Circle
+    ada = AnchoredDrawingArea(20, 20, 0, 0,
+                              loc=1, pad=0., frameon=False)
+    p = Circle((10, 10), 10)
+    ada.da.add_artist(p)
+    ax.add_artist(ada)
 
 
 class AnchoredEllipse(AnchoredOffsetbox):
@@ -56,41 +70,44 @@ def __init__(self, transform, width, height, angle, loc,
                          child=self._box, prop=prop, frameon=frameon)
 
 
-class AnchoredDrawingArea(AnchoredOffsetbox):
-    def __init__(self, width, height, xdescent, ydescent,
-                 loc, pad=0.4, borderpad=0.5, prop=None, frameon=True):
-        self.da = DrawingArea(width, height, xdescent, ydescent)
-        super().__init__(loc, pad=pad, borderpad=borderpad,
-                         child=self.da, prop=None, frameon=frameon)
+def draw_ellipse(ax):
+    """
+    Draw an ellipse of width=0.1, height=0.15 in data coordinates
+    """
+    ae = AnchoredEllipse(ax.transData, width=0.1, height=0.15, angle=0.,
+                         loc=3, pad=0.5, borderpad=0.4, frameon=True)
 
+    ax.add_artist(ae)
 
-if __name__ == "__main__":
 
-    import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+class AnchoredSizeBar(AnchoredOffsetbox):
+    def __init__(self, transform, size, label, loc,
+                 pad=0.1, borderpad=0.1, sep=2, prop=None, frameon=True):
+        """
+        Draw a horizontal bar with the size in data coordinate of the given
+        axes. A label will be drawn underneath (center-aligned).
 
-    ax = plt.gca()
-    ax.set_aspect(1.)
+        pad, borderpad in fraction of the legend font size (or prop)
+        sep in points.
+        """
+        self.size_bar = AuxTransformBox(transform)
+        self.size_bar.add_artist(Rectangle((0, 0), size, 0, ec="black", lw=1.0))
 
-    at = AnchoredText("Figure 1a",
-                      loc=2, frameon=True)
-    at.patch.set_boxstyle("round,pad=0.,rounding_size=0.2")
-    ax.add_artist(at)
+        self.txt_label = TextArea(label, minimumdescent=False)
 
-    from matplotlib.patches import Circle
-    ada = AnchoredDrawingArea(20, 20, 0, 0,
-                              loc=1, pad=0., frameon=False)
-    p = Circle((10, 10), 10)
-    ada.da.add_artist(p)
-    ax.add_artist(ada)
+        self._box = VPacker(children=[self.size_bar, self.txt_label],
+                            align="center",
+                            pad=0, sep=sep)
 
-    # draw an ellipse of width=0.1, height=0.15 in the data coordinate
-    ae = AnchoredEllipse(ax.transData, width=0.1, height=0.15, angle=0.,
-                         loc=3, pad=0.5, borderpad=0.4, frameon=True)
+        super().__init__(loc, pad=pad, borderpad=borderpad,
+                         child=self._box, prop=prop, frameon=frameon)
 
-    ax.add_artist(ae)
 
-    # draw a horizontal bar with length of 0.1 in Data coordinate
-    # (ax.transData) with a label underneath.
+def draw_sizebar(ax):
+    """
+    Draw a horizontal bar with length of 0.1 in data coordinates,
+    with a fixed label underneath.
+    """
     asb = AnchoredSizeBar(ax.transData,
                           0.1,
                           r"1$^{\prime}$",
@@ -99,5 +116,13 @@ def __init__(self, width, height, xdescent, ydescent,
                           frameon=False)
     ax.add_artist(asb)
 
-    plt.draw()
-    plt.show()
+
+ax = plt.gca()
+ax.set_aspect(1.)
+
+draw_text(ax)
+draw_circle(ax)
+draw_ellipse(ax)
+draw_sizebar(ax)
+
+plt.show()
diff --git a/tutorials/text/annotations.py b/tutorials/text/annotations.py
index 5706e08cdc75..3f549671649f 100644
--- a/tutorials/text/annotations.py
+++ b/tutorials/text/annotations.py
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@
 
     from matplotlib.offsetbox import AnchoredText
     at = AnchoredText("Figure 1a",
-                      prop=dict(size=8), frameon=True,
+                      prop=dict(size=15), frameon=True,
                       loc=2,
                       )
     at.patch.set_boxstyle("round,pad=0.,rounding_size=0.2")