Eagle McMahon 2024 Team Series "Rebirth"

MVP Disc Sports is starting 2024 with some great Team MVP signings. One of them is Eagle McMahon! I can’t say this enough, but it was a team effort to design, film, edit, plan, and execute the Eagle McMahon recent news drop. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this team we have assembled. Eagle had requested in discussions that his Team Series disc be the Axiom Prism Proton Envy. Prism Proton is a combination of a Proton core with a Prism Proton rim. It differs from the standard stock Proton Envy with its Neutron overmold. It allows light to bounce through and create some remarkable results. The Envy is one of our company's most popular discs, and the Prism Proton Envy is easily one of the most gorgeous Envy’s we have ever produced.

Assignment:
To provide Eagle McMahon with a triple-foil 2024 Team Series design and to have stamped product before Eagle’s arrival at MVP HQ. At age 25, firmly in his prime, He knew this opportunity was the start of the next phase of his career. Those conversations led naturally to the concept of a phoenix, or rebirth. It was the start of something new and exciting. While this was my priority secret assignment, I had to conduct my day-to-day operations as the Art Director of MVP.

Phase 1
MVP/Axiom isn’t known to be a company to release anything bird-related. Where do we start? How can we work within the parameters of the phoenix lore and not create something similar to other disc golf brands? Cybernetic concepts? AI generation? The choice to use an animal has been made and redone countless times within the disc golf space. I relied on gathering references of phoenixes and eagles that displayed strong pose characteristics and unique silhouettes. While in the rabbit hole, I found references to an Eastern-style phoenix-like bird that steers toward ostrich/peacock comparisons. I felt there needed to be a sense of pomp and circumstance/elegance.

Phase 2
I got to work on a few sheets of thumbnails. Listening to feedback from the first thumbnail selection gave me more to chew on going into the second set of ideas. This sheet would land the bones/overall direction of the design moving forward. I brought a rough chosen thumbnail into Procreate and started to figure out bird, text, and logo placement within the stamp. There are standards for the Official Team Series seal with a minimum stamping size of 10mm tall, and I knew from the jump that those were must-haves. Going from loose drawings to idealized structure (mocked onto discs) helps show ratios and how the design feels with the characteristics of the plastic.

Phase 3
I learned a lot about Eagle during this first project. He wasn’t the biggest fan of his name taking up so much space as I initially thought we needed. We opted for a smaller footprint. The head facing to the right side offered the best silhouette value. Overall, leaving the head looking off to the side felt commonplace with the reference I’ve been seeing. Looking upward and straight on felt more engaging and powerful, so I continued with that mindset. We entered a more polished stage. I started thinking about all three foils. Eagle was pretty jazzed, and we all felt this was the final direction.

We were at the 80% mark when I felt the flames didn’t replicate the excitement/buzz going into 2024. In a traditional sense, the vibe fits more with the Eastern/traditional style fire. While working through the final ideas of the bottom stamp rocker, I realized that the airfoil caused by a bird rising from the fire would create a bit more disturbance. Adding more lateral energy helped add dynamics to the bottom portion tenfold.

The Final Phase
The last part to do was to finalize line quality, start placing the assets into the custom template, and work through final line detailing with stamping guidelines in mind. This design had to have little to no issues on the day they tested. It needed to work consistently for whoever was running the stamping machine at any point.

The Eagle McMahon “Rebirth” Team Series discs will include gold holographic foil, red holo foil styles (shatter, dots, and vertical holographic lines), and a black outline. I’d like to thank Eagle for his attitude and pure joy during this process. It aided in the extra hours needed to finish this. I’m beyond excited to see these out in the wild and can’t imagine what 2024 has in store for MVP Disc Sports. I hope you all enjoyed and feel free to ask any questions. Thanks!

"Hold On" Self-Portrait

Wow! Where do I start with this one? Michael “Sully” Sullivan and I have worked numerously on other projects. I was able to help him with his personal Team MVP stamp and multiple Gyroscope designs for the local events he runs with MVP discs. Mike came to me late last year with the idea he had of recruiting artists and just letting them do their thing. Drive home what’s important to them, their particular nuances and inspirations, and seeing what manifests from the idea. Soon enough, Michael was off and running and had me in mind for one of the first chosen artists. I simply couldn’t resist. To have that kind of trust to allow the artist to roll with what inspires them has so far been an idea paying huge dividends.

Why eyeballs and feathers?: I have a deep admiration for my father. He was very young at the time that he and my biological mother split ways. He worked long hours and with the help of my grandmother, took care of my sister and I. You have to be selfless as a parent and I’m learning those things rather quickly. At a very young age; I’ve seen numerous eagle imagery and have been inspired by some of the graphical posters/ tapestries on the walls of our home. While birds aren’t exactly easy to draw, they tend to create some really dynamic and interesting shapes. I enjoy that there are numerous ways to shift the head, body, and talons to create something unique. I chose a bald eagle because of my upbringing, & military service to my country. While it may be some hard times right now for a lot of people in the world and more specifically, within the U.S; I feel the eagle idea hit both a personal side and an aid to a more hidden message of resiliency, being present and educated with what’s going around you. This particular eagle doesn’t have its wings out to slow his movement. They’re fully back allowing less drag. I use these wind tunnel-like lines to accentuate it. This eagle is very much in control.

But Mike… eyeballs?: Eyeballs. What can I say? My love of Rat Fink, skateboard art, counterculture, and the weird. That’s why I love drawing and using them in my personal and professional work (when it fits the project). This eagle could very much rip this fleshy ball of goo with ease but he simply isn’t. I wanted a story and adding tension between the two elements was a starting point. There really aren’t any boundaries except the ones you create for yourself. I love that the most when creating in this style.

Is there a story?: This idea wasn’t there from the project kick-off. It just sort of clicked when pushing the final thumbnail phase. The eagle can symbolize the all-seeing eye. In my piece, the eagle aids the eye to look at the world from above. It would later set the hierarchy for the composition itself. I very much had in mind to bring in Western NY hidden elements. I’m a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan. Having nothing really stopping my personal aspirations, everything sounded like an awesome idea! I relied heavily on my past hot stamp design experience to pump the brakes. All of those elements simply weren’t going read well so they were scrapped. While the project was fully in my hands to do whatever I please (within acceptable reason), the rules of composition, read & graphic nature kept the stamp from becoming a total mess.

The ultimate goal was to create something people would visually gravitate to. While polishing up and choosing, the idea of this giant bird allowing the human eye to see the world from its view, spoke to me. We are still dealing with the COVID-19 virus, inequality, and a country very much in a shaky situation. Is it acceptable in disc golf to talk about these things? Why not? We’re individuals with our own views and ideals. This stamp definitely doesn’t tell you what to think; it says to pull back, look at the world from a different angle. All in all, this project was a lot of fun and something I definitely looking forward to doing again in some compacity. I can’t thank Mike enough for getting it rolling.

Luckily, there are still a few available after the initial pre-order time. Be quick but you can order and support my Self-Portrait by reaching out to Mike Sullivan here:
https://www.facebook.com/Sully68783