It's unsung heroes time. You know who they are, don't you? They're the people without whom the train would never get out of the station, the rocket ship would never get off the launching pad and the chocolate chip cookies would never end up in the lunchbox.

At SKIN&INK we have several unsung heroes. First of all, of course, is our art director, Lisa Beattie. She's the one that, for the last two-and-a-half years, takes the piles of articles, images and suggestions from the editor and turns them into a monthly masterpiece. The entire look of each issue, its design and readability, is Lisa's brainchild.

Another indispensable staffer is our copy editor, Vicki Botnick. It has been said that SKIN&INK shows its respect for the art form by spelling everything correctly and getting the punctuation right. Sure, once in a while we print Eddie instead of Eddy or Patti Kelly instead of Patty Kelley, but, no bout adoubt it, Vicki is the best.

Next on the list is our webmeister, Anton Fury. Even though he's a full-time editor for another magazine, Anton designs our www.skinandink.com website and posts the monthly updates, the Readers' Photos, the Archive of past issues and the Feature of the month. We'd never get on the net without Anton.

A few years back, we published a lengthy article about the day-to-day process of putting our magazine together. With over thirty-five writers, photographers and illustrators participating on a regular basis and only thirty days to do it, all the contributions have to be sifted, fine-tuned and placed on the page, no matter what. Deadlines must be met, art has to be shipped, emails need to be answered. The hardest part, of course, is delivering everything on time. Writing a column, photographing a tattoo shop, inking an illustration-especially when many of our contributors are full-time tattoo artists-can be more than challenging. The clock keeps ticking. It can be a bit overwhelming. But, thanks to the unsung heroes, the people in the back office, we always make the deadline.

And then, of course, are the hundreds of aspiring artists who send in their tattoo photos. Some have been tattooing for years, others just a short time. Some will make a name for themselves, others never will. But, good or bad, skilled or not, they all want to be part of this great tradition. They consider it a privilege to be in our Readers' Gallery. And, if a photo of their art did appear in the magazine or on the website, they'd tell their friends or take a peek in the middle of the night, just to see their work in print. These passionate inksters provide the energy, the heart and the blood that makes our magazine what it is. Against all odds, they persevere. And then one day, because of hard work and just plain stubbornness, they get recognized by their peers. Perhaps these are the greatest heroes of all.

Bob Baxter
Editor in Chief

baxter@skinandink.com
www.skinandink.com