Lee Tran Lam's Zine and a Tart or Two

Coming up soon in Sydney is the MCA Zine Fair. It takes place on Sunday 24th May 11am - 5pm. The Zine Fair is a collection of stalls selling comics and zines (handmade/independent/personal magazines), ranging from 50c black-and-white mini-booklets with brief sketches to individually made monographs with hand-pasted Polaroids inside. You can find out more about the Zine Fair here.  The lovely Lee Tran Lam has produced this gorgeous zine (above) for the fair and she was lovely enough to interview Hello Sandwich for it!

She asked me questions such as:

If there were such as think as say, a box of Ebony Bizys Derwent Pencils, what names would you give the colours?

What a divine question! Secretly I have always wanted to be asked this! Now remember, this list is coming from a girl who chooses her manicure colour based on the name – think ‘Californian Coral’ and ‘Pinch me I’m dreaming’ (and don’t even get me started on lipsticks!). Here are a few pencils you would find in an Ebony Bizys Derwent box:

Katsudon mustard (based on the colour of Japanese dish katsudon – crumbed meat)

Yamonote-sen lime (based on the lime green train line that circles central Tokyo)

Loft yellow (based on my favourite Japanese department store)

Onigiri Green (based on the seaweed that wraps little onigiri rice triangles in convenience stores)

Tsumori lemon (in honour of my favourite Japanese designer Tsumiro Chisato who often used a delightful lemon in her designs)

Sugito Salmon (based on the delightful shade of Salmon used by the amazing Japanese contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugito).

107.3 coral (based on the pantone colour)

I might add that if I had my own branded box of pencils it would include pastels, fluro’s and metallic pencils along side a few more basic colours. If only they could make hologram pencils!

Isn't she just the cutest! Lee Tran says this about her new zine 'Speak Easy':

As a zine nerd, I've been making these mini magazines for quite a while – my current zine, Speak-easy has just earnt itself 10 birthday candles (which makes me an old zine fogie!). The new issue, #10, is all about Sydney – not from a cheesy, tourist point of view or a ditzy social-pages perspective, but from the eyes of many creative people I find inspiring.

It features local architects, photographers, writers, artists, zinemakers – as well as Inside Out's brilliant style editor, Vanessa Colyer Tay and our multi-talented designer, Grace. Also covered is Ebony Bizys, the wonderful senior designer at our sister mag, Vogue Living and blogger behind the hyper-colourful and delightful Hello Sandwich blog.

Aw shucks! Thank you Lee Tran! It's just gorgeous and I am so happy to be a part! If you would like a little handmade bundles of goodness I think you should all pop on down to the Zine Fair...but if you are tied up this Sunday why don't you jot Lee Tran a little email telling her how much you like the look of her new zine and (for the very special price of $8) Lee Tran will happily send you a little treat in the mail. Email her! She's so lovely! ltlam@tpg.com.au

Oh and Miss Lee Tran will be selling her divine 'Speak Easy' zine along side some delicious artworks made by the gorgeous Grace Lee (below). Sigh! Is everyone so multi talented! :)





Hope to see you all at the Zine Fair!

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xxx