Selina Fenech

So far so good. A few more days in now and I'm feeling much better. I've finished my supply of "compulsory" anti nausea tablets, and have a decent supply left of the "voluntary" ones if I need them, and haven't actually been sick, which is actually quite good. 
I think the actualy day in treatment and the shock of the reaction I had really shook me up a bit, and for the weekend I was just thinking I COULDN'T go through this every three weeks. But I'm doing much better now, practically no nausea already, the only thing that's bugging me is my right arm is aching and aching, which is annoying being right handed and all. I guess it's those dozen or so blood tests/canulas/needles that have gone in there over the last few months catching up on me. The follow up needle after chemo I had is also I think causing mose of the aches now too, apparently it forces immature white blood cells out of your bone marrow to stop your cell count dropping too much... which causes the bone/muscle/head aches.
And I figure my next in ward treatment days should be much easier and smoother, and I'll know what to expect, so fingers crossed. The doctors like to make you feel like you can quite at any time if you really can't take it. But I'm sure they would do their best to convince you otherwise if you tried quitting, lol. But it's still a good way to feel like you're not just locked into all this without a choice. It makes you feel stronger and more in power of the whole thing. Which is another reason I want to shave my head soon. David mentioned a quote from a book he'd read once, something about GOING bald, is ugly, cos it's something that happens TO you. BEING bald, is a choice, so it's sexy and powerful. And I can uinderstand that. It's also, if I leave it until the hair loss actually begins, then i'm just a cancer patient, but if I do it myself now, I'm someone who decided on that hair style, in a way... We'll see anyway, it's a big step!

Thank you for everyone who's been thinking about me during my treatment and following my progress here. I had my first chemo treatment on friday, and now it's sunday it's going ok so far. I guess I feel in a way like I've just got an icky flu or cold to some extent*. Tired mostly, a bit absent minded and listless. The nausea is the main thing so far. I feel like I should be rattling with all the anti nausea tablets I'm taking, and even with them all, they just sort of keep it at bay. If I let my mind dwell on it or don't keep focused on other things it can start feeling really gross, but normally is fine. The other related chemo side affects are ehanced sense of smell, dry mouth and changed taste bud sensations, which all add up to making food a bit icky at the moment too. I haven't really lost my apetite though which is good, it's just a bit confused with all the other sensations at the moment!
The actual day in the chemo clinic was, honestly, rather bad. For those people who say "it's just like a big lounge room", well, I think the only thing they have in common with lounge rooms is a few reclining chairs. It all says hospital ward to me, with all of us hooked up to our beeping machines.
Unfortunately my day didn't run as smooth as could be hoped. I had a nasty reaction to one of my chemo drugs. It flared up really quick and was a bit scary, but is a relatively common, if unwanted, side affect. Anyway after giving everyone a bit of a scare, as soon as they stopped the drip I went back to normal, and they gave me even more pre-med drugs and antihystamines, and "re-challenged" me with the drug and it went smoothly the second time, so shouldn't be a problem again. But I did get a private bed out of the experience, yay.  
As for hair... I'm considering biting the bullet and gettting a buzz cut ASAP. I was running my fingers through my already short hair today and, already feeling a bit fragile, realised it'd probably rather freak me out to actually feel it come out. As scary as going the buzz cut is, I think falling out hair will be worse... so we'll see how brave I am over the next week (hair loss is expected anywhere between 10-21 days in the ol' textbook). Also, with my frequent napping at the moment, at least I wouldn't have to worry about crazy messy sticking out every which way hair if I crop it all off!
As for the old text book and dr's advice and so on, it appears I will probably feel a few different forms of "icky" for the next few days, and then should feel ok for the following two weeks leading up to the next dosage, which would be nice! 
Oh, and the buggers snuck this one up on me, I am STILL going to have to give myself needles for each cycle as well! Only one per 3 weeks now, but still, more ick. I got David to give me the one last night, wasn't feeling up to it. They are still only tiny ones, but still feeling like a big ol' pincushion. Also they decided in the chemo ward to put the canula into the side of my wrist, directly under the bottom of the thumb on the side... OW. Not a good spot. I must produce better veins to get through this!
All in all, certainly not a pleasant experience, but tolerable. anyway that's about all the ins and outs of my chemo a whole 2 days in. Only 4-5 months to go!

* And yes I'm making sure I don't actually have a cold or flu at all, it's the most important side affect to watch out for with this chemo. With dropping white blood cell count infections can hit hard and fast. Although telling a chemo patient to watch for symptoms of feeling "unwell" is rather laughable really! What, unwell, as in different to nauseas, fatigued, and generally drugged out? RIIIIIGHT. That's what the thermometre comes in handy for. I'm just keeping an eye on my body temp as the main indicator there on Dr's orders.

www.selinafenech.com has just been updated! 

Lots of new updates this month, beginning with 5 new designs in Coffee Mugs

We also have cute little Storage Jars for your every day storage needs, like coffee, tea, and most importantly, lollies and chocolates!

Three, stunning new original artworks have been released for sale! Guardian, Silver Sisters and Moonlit Magic are available now in Original Art Sales

Writing Paper packs have had a new facelift, with many new designs also now available.

Check out Selina's Goliath and White Wych artworks, soon to be seen on beer labels throughout the UK and beyond!

Tattoo permission letters are now available directly from Selina, for those interested in getting Selina's art inked, visit Tattoo Permissions

   

See more new items at New Releases

It seems I keep managing to finally get hair photos just when I'm about to change it again. Although this style has really grown on me so maybe I won't change it... still, I did want to try a really bright, light coppery red! 
I have my first chemo treatment tomorrow, and the doctor said it will probably be three weeks till the hair really starts to come out, and I want to get it either cut shorter again or shave it before it starts coming out too much.
Anyway, here's a photo of how it's been for the last few weeks. Funky no?



Anyway, I'm all set for my first dosage tomorrow. It's a bit of an unknown, but the first is always the worst. Once I know what to expect the other cycles should be easy, and the doctors re-adjust dosages and medicines to make it better each time too, so we'll see how it goes!

 Mmmm.... Prrrretty....


PSST.... mugs and things came in today, which means the website should be updated tomorrow... and one of the original artworks I will be releasing for sale is the artwork shown above, Guardian (colour version)! Not in this frame though, it's the wrong size for the original... ;)

Sometimes fighting the IP fight can pay off... Through all my contacting of sellers trying to get the knock-off mobile phone cases offline, it looks like I *might* actually get a legitimate licensing deal out of it, fingers crossed!

Meanwhile, I'm working on my website update. This is a big one, not because there's a lot of stuff to add as such, but it will be the first website update automatically generated and uploaded by my new database system. I've been spending all of the morning double checking all the products are in the database properly and ready to go. Davids got to do some final tweaking to the upload file tomorrow, and I still need the new mugs and bits to come in to photograph, but the site should be all updated by the end of the week!

Well, I hope so anyway, but it's one of those never ending wars isn't it? *sigh*
After a few major infringments popping up this weekend, and still having not been able to do anything about those dodgy chinese figurines, I went a bit crazy this weekend and have spent the whole weekend reading up about my rights, drafting up Letters of Demand, and plotting my strategies against the nasty parties.
I actually downloaded THE COMPLETE Australian Copyright Act, all 673 pages of it, and skimmed through the pertinant sections. It's really very interesting. Unfortunately most of the infringments are OUTSIDE of Australia, but I am led to believe the Australian act is very very similar to the International copyright act (I wonder where I can download it from?).
 Anyway, it sucks that I've spent the whole weekend on this so far, but I feel like I'm making headway. I've opened up a file on my computer where I am now logging every single infringment, who did it, what it was, where it was, and how it's resolved, with details so I can go back and keep an eye on people. Keeping images of the items and dates saved.
I recently found out about a stack of mobile phone faceplates on the market with my Littlest Fairy artwork on them (NOT authorised, please don't buy them!!). I'm at the moment buddying up to some of the ebay sellers so they can hand over their suppliers details to me so I can hit the source... >:)
I'm planning a similar tactic on figurine sellers. I've already emailed some requesting they return all the unauthorised figurines to their suuplier and tell them WHY they want their money back. I mean, really, their suppliers are putting THEM in risk legally by selling unauthorised copyright material, which is as much of an offense as making it in the first place.  
What I really need is some copyright lawyer who like pro-bono work. Heck, if they want to sue for damages/profits, I'd wish them well and let them have whatever they get, as long as they got some results! Wishful thinking though I believe. If it really were that easy, us artists would have lawyers fighting over us, hehe.

Just wanted to let everyone know I've got an article in this months EMG-Zine on licensing tips for artists at http://www.emg-zine.com/item.php?id=390
Ellen did an article last month as a basic licensing introduction as well which was a good lead up to mine which is more advanced, and there is also this month an article about the orphan works act which everyone's been talking about. 

Phew... I have to admit, I'm rather behind on work at the moment. My treatments last week leading up to chemo were pretty harsh and involved (I was at the hospital more days than not last week) and still have me feeling very stiff, sore, and short of breath. Only one blood test to go before chemo begins on the 9th now though, yay!
 I keep being reminded of the quote from the Princess Bride, something along the lines of wanting me to be in perfect health before the torture begins ;) I don't see it as torture of course, but it's funny. All the tests I've had recently to make sure I'm all good for chemo have shown my heart is prefectly healthy, I'm shockingly fertile, have no hepatitis's or other nasty conditions, and otherwise going really strong. These things are all nice to know.

But despite all that I finally just got every, single outstanding order shipped, which is a very good feeling. So on to new types of work that are being neglected, such as my website update!

I wanted to give people a heads up, I'm going to be doing a major shake up of my original art sales!! As of my next update (which will be any day now), I will be taking down almost all of the originals currently shown available. In preference, I will be setting up that page as a sort of gallery showcase of just 2-3 original works available at any one time, with much more information and detail photos. So sort of like a real gallery exhibition where works are made available for sale, only the few I feel ready to part with at any one time will be available.
Also, prices are about to go UP significantly!  The last time I priced my originals, the US dollar was about 70c to one Aussie dollar. Now they are practically one for one, meaning the US prices are all significantly lower than they should be! This is going to be fixed, meaning some original prices are going to go UP at least $100-200!

Also I've just put in an order for more mugs, thanks for the suggestions everyone! The new designs will be *drumroll* Dragon Skies, Hold Onto Hope, Rose, Little Be OK and the Celstials. I also have another cool product due to come in with them, so I might hold off my site update until they are in!

I have a couple of questions I'd love answered! Really un-important actually, but fun maybe!

1. I'm about to get a new batch of coffee mugs printed up and am considering some new designs. Anyone got any preferences to what artworks I should add to the coffee mug range? 

2. Who wants to see a photo of my operation scar!? I know it'd gross some people out, but I kinda love "scar sharing" with people, showing off war wounds and such :) but thought it might be a bit much for on LJ, heh. It's just that it has, finally, after er, a month and a half after my surgery, finally sealed completely up! No more pussy oozy bits or open sections looking gross! Yay!

The Silver Sisters
These are actually a couple of characters I have had floating around in my head for a while. I might end up painting and writing more about them. I even had a poem written about them, but for some reason since my last computer rebuild a heap of my text documents have become blank :( I hope I can get them back but haven't had the time to look into my backups and things yet.
All you really need to know about them so far, is despite their shining appearance these two have dark hearts. They are intended to be twins, but I didn't really start this artwork planning it to be these two, so only really started shaping it to be them after I'd done most of the faces, so er, yeah. They do kind of look the same?

I just did a quick tally today, and I've had at least 17 needles since finding out about my breast cancer (well, two were before hand during the diagnosing tests).  I just had three in the same spot within the last day which prompted me to make the list. That's not all too many I guess for a 3 ish month period, but considering before that I was complaining at having to have three needles within 5 months for my gardasil vaccine I'm doing pretty well with my needles. 
I just had a heart test today to make sure my hearts in tip top shape for chemo. Chemo has the potential to do bad things if you all your organs aren't 100% to start with, so they check your heart, liver, a few other things before hand to make sure you'll get through chemo ok. So a quick injection of radioactive material later and my heart is all good (STILL no super powers though, how much radation do I need?!)
Chemo should start next week, except the nurses got my timetable screwed up. They first made the appointment for this week, which I couldn't do cos I'm doing another treatment first, I told them this about 5 times and they still called me today to see why I didn't show up... sigh.... Anyway hopefully they will get it sorted and get me in for next week instead like they were asked to from the beginning...

On another note, here's a quick scan of a new work I'm poking at on and off. I haven't much had the stamina at the moment to sit and finish a painting in one or two long sittings like I normally do, it's more on and off for a week or so when I feel like it. I hadn't really planned this one out, which is why I'm scanning it now to play with some colours in photoshop before finishing it up traditionally. So here's the midstep... I don't normally finish up the skin/figures/faces like this first, normally I do the background first, but like I said, no planning going on here. 
This was also the one that a lot of the sketch washed away with the first wash, but I think like Ash said, it just wasn't meant to be... the clothing design I did really didn't suit the artwork anyway I think... hrm... still don't know what to do with it instead yet...



PS... does anyone know how to make my LJ layout table wider? I'm not so good with the cutsom CSS stuff with livejournal... Is there a away I can customise this layout with a CSS line or two or should I jsut change layouts?
 

Oh, and editted to add... does anyone else reckon the girl on the right looks like Faith (Eliza Dushka)? Maybe it's cos I've been watching a lot of Buffy... but she sort of started looking like her and so I just went with it, but maybe it's just me that thinks so hehe.

Ooohhhh!! I just started a new painting... got the sketch all done, and went and did a nice flat wash over the top to darken the overall paper, and half my bloody sketch just washed away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gah! That's never happened before... Sheesh... talk about back to the drawing board... literally...

No matter how I'm feeling, "Fruits Basket" can always inspire me, make me feel all warm and fuzzy and hopefull, and cry like a baby as well...

Here's a little clip for those who haven't been touched by Fruits basket before, or those who have that just want to see it again ^_^
Oh, to make things clear, it's just an anime series, it's not the most deep or, er, logical thing ever, but it's just, SO damn sweet and touching...
Momiji, the little blonde kid in the clip has a curse on him that if he is hugged by a member of the opposite sex he turns into an animal from the chinese zodiac (he's the rabbit), as do some other members of his family. Tohru, the cleaning girl, recently lost her mother to a car accident, and has sort of been taken in by the cursed family...

Anyway, watch, I bet it'll make you tear up, and also believe- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj8AZDWOlfc

I've been working on this one on and off for hrrm... maybe  a month or two? Mostly off... but anyway I finally got it finished.
This was an image I saw in a dream, with a girl in a black dress stepping off a building with a flock of birds trying to pull at the hems of her skirt. I'm not sure I quite got the movement and feeling I saw in my dream, but it sort of works.
Sort of a different work for me, since it's not really fantasy at all... but it's good to be different sometimes :) I am hankering for some fairy painting though after all the non fairy work lately...
Anyway, who cares, lets get to the art already!

"Catch Me"
 

I received an email the other day from someone who had just seen a figurine of my Motherhood artwork in a store, commenting on how lovely it was.
Hrm. I think to myself. Funny that since I've never licensed that artwork out to any company to produce or heard the first thing about this before.
Deja Vous all over again. It was over a year ago now that I found these- http://selinafenech.com/images/nemesisfigurines.jpg
A lovely stack of my artworks being produced illegally as figurines. And now it sounds like there's more. Over a year and I haven't been able to do anything about it. What can I do? I don't even know who's making them. I certainly can't afford a lawyer or solicitor or anything to chase it up for me. The way things are going I'll be lucky to make rent next week and some bastards are ripping off my artwork however they feel like it, making money selling these figurines all over the world and it might just be all the treatments I'm on at the moment but I'm so bloody angry and upset and really at the end of my rope with this whole business. And no I don't need any net hugs. I need the world to start being BETTER.

Anyway... the point of this entry wasn't to rant (missed that point well didn't I). It was to try and get to the bottom of this. So if anyone else has seen this figurine (approx. 5 inches in diametre, off white colour all over, made to hang), please contact me if you can direct me to some information on them. Not that I'll be able to do anything about them anyway, but at least I can add it to my "people suck" file.

Diplomatic, socially acceptable Selina will be back tomorrow.

FINALLY. Oh my, I am SO behind on the hair photos!! I've, er, been through 4 different do's since last photo, bwaahahaha!

Here are two of the recent styles I've actually got photos of-

Here's just after the major bleaching as shown before, I went and got a better cut and three different natural blonde-y colour foils throughout. I've been having fun with guilt free heat styling, as you can see by the fun little curls and such



And then, again after a few weeks when the regrowth was really getting on my nerves, I dyed it pink! I tried DIY streaks first which really didn't work, so just went with an all over colour...




About four days after going pink, I got sick of it as well (it was SO trashy with the regrowth and all!) and dyed it all blue, cos David really wanted to see blue. I got no photos of the blue cos it really sucked, it just didn't work out very well. Some bits were really nice, but most of it just looked an icky grey.

So about a day after the blue I went in and hemoraged money at the hair salon again and got a spunky little pixie cut, with almost black red/purple all over colour and hot pink fringe and foils in bits. I feel like the comic character Freefall (http://members.tripod.com/~mummy21/roxkool.jpg)

I'll try and get photos right away. This cut and colour will probably last me until chemo anyway. It wasn't really what I was after... I really wanted a more natural coppery red colour scheme... But my hair dresser has taken me on as her guinea pig I think and just kinda took control... but it's really growing on me, and I always really liked Roxy (Freefall!) back in my comic days, and wanted her hair style, and now I have it, so yay!

I can tell ya... my hair feels like CRAP. Kinda like really damaged WOOL at the moment, heheh. I know now why I never did any of this to my hair before. It has had some pretty extreme treatment for the last couple of months though.
It's all kinda made me look forward to losing it all, so I don't have to keep messing with it all the time! The doctor reckons it's pretty much guaranteed to fall out rather dramatically exactly 3 weeks after my first chemo treatment, so about a month away in total now. If I really feel like it I might try a packet colour to try the coppery reds I was after before, but I might just stick with this one now. It's FUNKY.

 I just gave myself a needle without freaking out too much! Yay me! Didn't even hesitate... although I'm feeling a teeensy bit faint afterwards (adrenaline mebbe?).
Now just have to repeat that  every day for the next two weeks... sigh...

On non medical news, I got my samples of the Guardian and Impossible Love statues from Pacific Trading
(http://www.pacifictradingonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=90_93&products_id=2227 and http://www.pacifictradingonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_92&products_id=2229)
They are SOOooooOO lovely. you know something is good when you want to carry them around the house with you every where you go so you can keep looking at them :)
I can't wait to see the waterglobes now!!!

see more crazy cat pics


see more crazy cat pics


see more crazy cat pics

Synarel is like Instant headache in a nasal spray. Ueeakckgh.