Sublim on TV and Radio

Friday, 15 May 2009

Sublim’s president Dominque Fraser had the opportunity to discuss her photography art in radio and tv interviews. To watch or listen to the broadcasts, follow the links:
Québec 800 105.1 FM “L’entracte”
Sortir FM 90.3 “Bistro”
Sortir FM 90.3 avec Robert Gillet
“1730” on TQS
“La retour du 91.9 avec Joseé Thurmel” Rythme FM 91.9 FM

Young Quebec City entrepreneur recognized internationally

Wednesday, 13 May 2009

DOMINIQUE FRASER AND SUBLIM
GIVEN 4 PAGES IN MAY 2009 ISSUE OF CHINESE COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Quebec City, Wednesday May 13, 2009. “Every small step is a personal achievement for me, Dominique Fraser says with a laugh. The founding president of Sublim photo retouching is profiled in text and images in the Chinese edition of the most important 3D creation magazine in the world: Computer Graphic Magazine. Whether its buying a computer, signing a contract with Lise Watier or reading an article about me in a Chinese magazine, I do everything with the same intensity. But seriously, from the outset, I decided to think big. Some people gave me funny looks about my ambition. I always said: What if it works. And it is! ”

The May 2009 Chinese edition of Computer Graphic Magazine published 4 pages about the Québécoise artist and Sublim, as well as many colour photos of photo retouching, including 3D additions that create amazing fantasy images. The process of these additions is well explained and demonstrated. The Chinese CGM is considered the most professional 3D creation magazine, and is distributed to 60,000 Chinese digital imaging creators.

On the eve of Sublim’s first anniversary, Dominique Fraser smiles because her dream is becoming a reality, even faster than she had imagined. She has solid experience and a good team to sustain Sublim. A trained illustrator and graphic designer, she has worked for several Quebec City and Montreal design agencies, as well as some of the biggest creation studios in the world. And her team, which is diverse, consists of some of the most skilled Quebecois talent.

After working in the video games sector, Dominique Fraser chose to specialize in photo retouching for the fashion, cosmetics and entertainment industries. “There are not very many photo retouching specialists,” stresses the young president. This art seeks to make an image perfect so that it will stand out from the competition, and also be liked by consumers.” For the founder of Sublim, photo retouching is about improving some elements or adding spectacular elements, like the 3D creation work her company does.

“Details make perfection, and perfection is no detail.” This maxim is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, and Dominique Fraser has made it her motto. It is with this in mind that she approaches each new project, each new mandate. It is also this approach that prevails when she leads her team in carrying out a contract, and what is placing her at the forefront of her field.

So how does someone find them self in China’s Computer Graphic Magazine? “With the contracts I did for Disney and Warner, I established great international contacts,” says Dominique Fraser. “I created some 3D works that attracted the attention of photographers here, of course, but also in Europe and Asia. From there to answering a few questions in China, there was only one step! ”

Today Sublim is turning heads, or rather the pages of magazines and the Web. The quality of her work is attracting attention, as well as requests for bids. And Sublim’s president has no intention of slowing down the pace. She has already won several awards for creation and entrepreneurship, and her name is finding its way on to the desks of art directors and photographers.

“I also want to create jobs here in Quebec City, Dominique Fraser concludes. Our talent is mature. Our artists are skilled. As Sublim grows, so will the team, and I intend to make photo retouching a well recognized art here, as it is elsewhere.”

For information and interviews:
Marie Morneau, ARP
marie@mariemorneau.com
418-580-1994

Québec Entrepreneurship Contest – Regional level

Tuesday, 5 May 2009

As seen in Le Soleil, on May 9, 2009 – PDF 1.2 meg

On May 5, 2009, Dominique Fraser won in the Service category of the Québécois Entrepreneurship Contest, this time at the regional level.
Miss Fraser enthusiastically accepted the award, quoting the honourary chairman of the evening, Dominique Brown, President of Beenox: “To succeed you must have big dreams. At Sublim we aim high, and one day Chanel will be retouched in Quebec City!”… A tip of the hat that did not go unnoticed by the crowd.
Sublim is now a finalist at the national level, and is eligible for the contest’s grand prize.

Sublim in China

Tuesday, 5 May 2009

Editor and journalist Linda Hu from China’s CG Magazine interviewed Sublim’s president Dominique Fraser. Here are some excerpts from the interview.

Linda: How did you determine your business direction at the beginning? Why not choose commercial spots and video effects, instead of pictures and CGI composition?

Dominique: I chose my business direction first by considering all of my professional experience. I gained most of it in digital imagery, not in film, which made it clear to me that I am more interested, able and appreciative of high-resolution image work. My background is in professional graphic design, and I have a university degree in that field. For many years I worked in multimedia, specifically as a Senior 3D Texture Artist for more than 6 years. I also worked for major American studios in animation and movie related activities. I always used Photoshop software and had success with it. So it was clear to me, when I started to work in the fashion industry, that I would combine all my skills and experience and be able to perfect my retouching techniques. Life brought me to the fashion field. Without really planning ahead, I decided to offer my services as a personal assistant for photo shoots to international clients. My intent was to visit different countries and see what was done artistically throughout the world. This is something I really enjoy doing. One thing led to another and I discovered that I really wanted to specialize in photo retouching, so I started my own business almost a year ago to do that. I never doubted that I had made the right decision, and I am having a ball doing it!

L: How long does it take to process a picture? How many people have input? What kind of tasks do these people have?

D: Each project is different. Depending on the client’s expectations, their deadline and budget, we adjust and make sure they get as much as possible for what they put in. So, as you can see, it is not as much a matter of time as it is a team effort from us, as well as with our clients. For example, when there are 3D elements to take into consideration there are a lot more people involved and the project is often on a big scale. In the specific pictures like “Robotic” that you’re referring to, there were four 3D artists involved. One who did the modeling, another the textures, and the other the lighting and the rendering. There was also a 3D artist from France who made the earpiece. We often have clients who are graphic designers themselves. Some are in the music industry or with advertising agencies, etc. They might need just a little something to make their work stand out from the rest. More and more European advertising agencies use 3D effects, and haute couture agencies are following this trend. This is in good part why I decided that Sublim would offer outstanding service to all of our current and potential international clients.

L: Could you introduce your production pipeline briefly?

D: My pipeline begins with numerous contacts with other artists who might need specialized services like the ones I offer. It also involves my own business development, which I do by attending many national and international activities and trade shows. Then I meet with clients. During the briefing we gather all the possible information like details on the project, the content and its use, the client’s expectations from us. We work to define the scope of the project. We agree on deadlines and budgets. The client must give us the quantity of pictures they want us to retouch. Together, we determine if the addition of 2D or 3D elements could be an advantage. Mock-ups are made through the entire process to validate ideas, concepts, techniques, effects, etc. It’s definitely a great asset to be able to use artists’ creative inputs to improve the global concept. What’s most important, the objective, is to create a picture that has an impact. A great creative director makes sure that all the artists are going in the same direction and that the stages of production follow the proper order.

L: Where do you get your inspiration?

D: We, artists, get our inspiration virtually everywhere: life, nature, family and friends, magazines, Internet. For the “Robotic” project, for example, we were inspired by Giger and Sky Doll (the blond model). The clothes and accessories chosen by the stylist also helped us to set the tone of the pictures. The sunglasses are by Versace, clothes by Denis Gagnon, who is a renowned Canadian designer. As you can see, we are avid lovers of creations. We thrive on other people’s work, as well as our own ideas. But the clients order always remains the base of our inspiration, our research, our concepts, and our art creations.

Collaboration with Richard Bernardin for Belle Magazine

Monday, 4 May 2009

We are proud to present you some pictures that we edited for Richard Bernardin, featuring beautiful model Tasha Tilberg from Giovanni.

Just like us, Richard Bernardin launched his new website this week. Not to be missed!
You can also see some of his latest images at modelresource.ca.