From Concept to Card: Irradia, the Atomic Witch

Irradia is the brainchild of our resident Art Director, Taylor Jones. Speaking on her unusual design, he says this:
"Irradia needed to be a marriage of everything the Atomic Domain represents: she's part dieselpunk princess, part radioactive zombie, part murderous harlequin. Early incarnations had atomic masks adorned with car parts and weird, breast-like tumours. As her design evolved, I hacked away piercings, engine parts and growths until the general ideas of Irradia were streamlined to a decaying torso, ratty leather armor, a jester-like mask and that amazing explosion of Atomic-Pink hair. She'd play cards with you as quickly as kill you."

From her earliest conceptualizations, Irradia has been a creature of insanity. She was rugged, bizarre, and full of nonconforming parts. From her motor parts to her tumorous flesh, she was abstract and full of strangeness. This concept art demonstrates the sheer psychotic nature of this immortal Being.

In the following concept art for her, a lot of the grizzly dieselpunk bits were replaced with a smoother, yet more "stitched" look. A flair of sick yellow hue adds a sense of chaos to Irradia's unique character. In some ways, she was more human-esque. In others, absolutely not.

The face masks are a recurring theme for such characters as the Witches. Here we see additions to Irradia that would stand the test of time: rough biker-like leather, spiked coverings and a sickeningly emaciated, supernatural look. Something about the unnatural look of Irradia gives a feeling of uneasiness. She's getting back her original Atomic flair, the rough-and-tumble "post-apocalypse" dieselpunk look, and has donned a jester-like mask, showing off her playfully sinister attitude.

Is this what happens when a Witch lets her hair dry naturally? Here Irradia's mask has gotten a sabertusk look, and she's gotten a new hairdo, showing off an abstract sense of flow to an otherwise fetid appearance. That's the beauty, or whatever it is you'd call it, about Irradia: she's haunting and decrepid but it's definitely part of her character, as other aspects are eerily smooth and flowing.

Just about completed, Irradia has taken on a more sleek mask as well as a more cutting-edge hairstyle. Her sickening smile throughout all of this has remained all but the same: deadly, playful, sweet, venomous. Her skeletal frame has gotten its final upgrades, topping off her wretched Atomic look.

Taylor's use of color in this final depiction is what really astounds. The unknown radioactive ooze, the muted colors, the sharp pop of bright pink locks, the shading which gives her ratted apparel a sturdy, hard appearance, and an eery background, complete with that nightmarish grin.

So there you have it! The dawn-to-dusk of one of the creepiest characters in Legion: Irradia. She is the epitome of the Atomic Domain's thesis: chaos, terror, waste, fear, and selfish might. Though she be its crowning jewel, don't look to Irradia for any kind of "leadership". She's in it for herself, and she's got all but eternity to wreak havoc. 

Will you be wise(or foolish) enough to align yourself with the Atomic Domain?

Morals only matter to mortals, after all.