diff --git a/examples/api/two_scales.py b/examples/api/two_scales.py
index ca5b4eddfbaa..8e650c6f17f8 100644
--- a/examples/api/two_scales.py
+++ b/examples/api/two_scales.py
@@ -17,64 +17,25 @@
 import numpy as np
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 
-
-def two_scales(ax1, time, data1, data2, c1, c2):
-    """
-
-    Parameters
-    ----------
-    ax : axis
-        Axis to put two scales on
-
-    time : array-like
-        x-axis values for both datasets
-
-    data1: array-like
-        Data for left hand scale
-
-    data2 : array-like
-        Data for right hand scale
-
-    c1 : color
-        Color for line 1
-
-    c2 : color
-        Color for line 2
-
-    Returns
-    -------
-    ax : axis
-        Original axis
-    ax2 : axis
-        New twin axis
-    """
-    ax2 = ax1.twinx()
-
-    ax1.plot(time, data1, color=c1)
-    ax1.set_xlabel('time (s)')
-    ax1.set_ylabel('exp')
-
-    ax2.plot(time, data2, color=c2)
-    ax2.set_ylabel('sin')
-    return ax1, ax2
-
-
 # Create some mock data
 t = np.arange(0.01, 10.0, 0.01)
-s1 = np.exp(t)
-s2 = np.sin(2 * np.pi * t)
+data1 = np.exp(t)
+data2 = np.sin(2 * np.pi * t)
+
+fig, ax1 = plt.subplots()
+
+color = 'tab:red'
+ax1.set_xlabel('time (s)')
+ax1.set_ylabel('exp', color=color)
+ax1.plot(t, data1, color=color)
+ax1.tick_params(axis='y', labelcolor=color)
 
-# Create axes
-fig, ax = plt.subplots()
-ax1, ax2 = two_scales(ax, t, s1, s2, 'r', 'b')
+ax2 = ax1.twinx()  # instantiate a second axes that shares the same x-axis
 
+color = 'tab:blue'
+ax2.set_ylabel('sin', color=color)  # we already handled the x-label with ax1
+ax2.plot(t, data2, color=color)
+ax2.tick_params(axis='y', labelcolor=color)
 
-# Change color of each axis
-def color_y_axis(ax, color):
-    """Color your axes."""
-    for t in ax.get_yticklabels():
-        t.set_color(color)
-    return None
-color_y_axis(ax1, 'r')
-color_y_axis(ax2, 'b')
+fig.tight_layout()  # otherwise the right y-label is slightly clipped
 plt.show()