Check out our interview with Featured Artist David Choe by Trina Calderon.

David Choe is not your average human. He is equipped with a good sense of humor, but most people would probably think he is just plain crazy. David does whatever the fuck he wants whenever the fuck he wants to. I don’t think he could live any other way. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s not afraid to say what he thinks.
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Currently, Mike Perry is exhibiting at Giant Robot in New York, which means you have until April 8th to do the visual part of your brain some good. In 2008, Perry, a Brooklyn artist who focuses mainly in illustration and spazzed-out line drawings, received Print Magazine’s New Visual Artists award and was also deemed to be one of the “Young Guns” by the Art Director’s Club.

In addition to his image-based work, Perry has also created original typefaces for Urban Outfitters, MTV, and messenger bag manufacturers, Brooklyn Industries. And, while we encourage you to check out the show, if you manage to miss it, snag a copy of his Holiday Zine or his first book, Hand Job, and stimulate yourself.

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To commemorate the completion of the 4-in-1 Robot Paper Toy Project seen in Giant Robot magazine, our loveley sponsors at Scion have teamed up with Giant Robot and are challenging readers to design their own paper figures for a chance to meet the master of paper figures himself and have their paper toy template distributed at the Paper Art Show in April!

DIRECTIONS
1. Download the blank template.
2. Customize the template with your own designs — draw, paint, use photoshop — be creative!
3. Scan or color copy your customized template and save it to upload later.
4. Construct your figure and take a photo of the completed piece.
5. By March 6, upload your scanned template and image of the completed figure using the link below.
6. Upload.
7. Winners will be announced on the site by March 11th.

GRAND PRIZE
•  $500 cash
• Airfare and accommodations to attend the Interactive Paper Art show at the Scion Space in Los Angeles on April 11.
• Inclusion of the winning entry in the art show, as well as distribution of the template to all attendees.
• Giant Robot prize package including a magazine subscription, T-shirt, sticker packet, and $50 gift certificate to the Giant Robot stores.

Scion, Asian and Asian-American pop culture magazine Giant Robot and artist Shin Tanaka bring cut-out fun to all ages and paper toy enthusiasts alike through special templates included in select Giant Robot issues.

Tanaka’s first template appeared in Giant Robot issue 56 which also featured an interview with the artist himself.  The second template followed in issue 57 which is out now, and the third will be featured in issue 58 which hits streets on February 9, 2009.  Readers can cut out the templates and fold them following the simple instructions to make their own robots.  Readers who create all three figures can assemble them to create Tanaka’s larger “4-in1 Robot” commissioned by Scion.

Tanaka, who was born in Fukuoka, Japan, is an artist who creates imaginative paper toys, figures and sneakers with precise details.  When he was younger, he began creating paper sneaker replicas with complete detail because he could not afford to buy all his favorite shoes.  Since then he has collaborated with Nike, Adidas and Reebok to create custom footwear and exhibited in Berlin, Hawaii, and Portland, Ore.  He recently participated in the Kennedy Center’s show “Japan! Culture + Hyperculture.”  Tanaka offers most of his fun templates for free at his website http://shin.co.nr/ where you can download them, to print, build and customize.

Gizmine looks like the love child of Giant Robot and the Fitzsu Society. Gizmine is the worlds largest (or so they claim) Japanese gadgets and lifestyle design shop. While we can’t vouch for their size, we will vouch for the fact that they have enough cool J-pop ware to make all those trend concious friends of your green with envy. We suggest jumping on this stuff now before Urban Outfitters buys the entire business.

Giant Robot in Los Angeles will be having a special in-store appearance by artist and designer Simone Legno of Tokidoki on Wednesday, July 30th from 6:00 to 8:00pm. Legno will be signing his latest collaboration with Mikasa, a limited edition soccer ball complete with a cute skull creation that adorns the surface.
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When we met Souther Salazar back at Art Center he was one of those guys who never stopped drawing. You could tell where Souther had been because his drawings would be on the wall, and the tables, napkins, notebooks, magazines, and and sometimes bits of the wall itself would would be covered in the most amazing little drawings. We were afraid to stand to close to Souther lest we end up a canvas. We think Souther Salazar may only put down the pens to eat, and if we saw him with pen marks all around his mouth we’d be totally unsurprised. Needless to say, when you draw that much, you get pretty good at it.

You can check out Souther Salazar’s latest work at the opening for his new show Make It Real at Giant Robot on Sawtelle in west LA Saturday Oct 13th at 6:30.

Giant Robot started out at as a zine back in the early 90’s and has flourished in to the Asian pop culture force to be reckoned with. The magazine is still great, but giant robot since opened stores in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, they have become known as the place to find designer toys. They also have have cool t-shirts designed by the likes of Geoff Mcfetridge and lots of hard to find art books and magazines (If you get hungry, they’ve opened a (GR)eats next door to the West LA location on Sawtelle).

But our favorite part are the galleries at each of its retail locations. Giant Robot’s galleries showcase work from some of our favorite artists such as Rachel Sumpter, Jeff Soto, Souther Salazar, and many others.