Leigh Luna

Why did you choose your major and what were your major classes like?

I always wanted to do illustration or do some sort of writing. Comics seemed the logical option. The comic art classes are tough but they make you really good at your craft. You draw A LOT.

Favorite place on campus? Off campus?

On Campus: the design studios. Off Campus: Lake Harriet and the rose garden.

Did MCAD prepare you for life after graduation? In what way?

MCAD did help prepare me in some ways. I built my website while I was in school and was able to get feedback on that. One of my books was picked up while I was still in school, which was a direct result of my internship, and that continued after I graduated.

Best thing you ever got from the free shelf?

Unopened American Apparel sweater tights and a DVD of all the Charmander Pokemon episodes.

What was your experience with MCAD's facilities? Did you have a personal studio? How was that?

MCADs facilities were great! I miss the Service Bureau a lot. My studio was also super helpful. It was a space to work with my friends around but also to focus.

How do you find inspiration when you are feeling stuck?

Sometimes I look at other people's art, but sometimes that just makes me feel terrible. I usually try and do something the complete opposite of art. I'll go grab a drink with someone or go work out.

Current obsession?

The Head and The Heart; Flume; Buffy; RuPaul's Drag Race

What advice do you have for art and design students?

Work as much as you can. It absolutely will be noticed and it will lead to opportunities.

Where did you intern and can you briefly describe the experience?

I did my first internship with a local comic artist, Evan Palmer my freshmen year. He basically taught me how to use all of the Adobe programs and do book production. He also brought me to two conventions where I learned how to table and present myself. I helped him on his series, Godins, and he mentored me through my own thirty-page book. I later went on to intern with Pollen Midwest and work as their art director and graphic designer my last semester at MCAD.

What did you get out of your internships?

A thirty-page book I could show around and a great mentor. And my internship led to my current job. My mentor, Evan, is now the art director of the show I work on.

Did you work for MCAD DesignWorks?

Yes.

What was the value of your DesignWorks experience?

I worked for Design Works as an illustrator primarily. It was really great because they helped me navigate my first real clients. They taught me how to invoice. I also gained portfolio pieces and a client list from working with them.

Has your work evolved since leaving MCAD?

Yes! Absolutely! Right out of school my first job was coloring the Steven Universe comic series. My color theory skills got really good. It absolutely increased my speed on projects as well. Both skills have been great for my personal practice. Also, now when I do comic work it almost always goes to my agent and then to a publisher. Working with that in mind has changed my methods of working a bit.

Name your one biggest takeaway from MCAD?

Work, work, work until your hands hurt.

2025 Cut/Paste Publication Feature

As a young girl in New Mexico, Leigh Luna ’15 didn’t like reading until she discovered Calvin and Hobbes and manga. She felt an undeniable pull toward comics and graphic novels, ultimately leading to a career that blends her comic art with storytelling.

Luna admits, “In high school I was a tightly wound and highly competitive art student.” But when she attended MCAD’s Pre-College Summer Session before her senior year, she was immediately humbled by how much she didn’t know. So she “bravely and foolishly” took the plunge and committed to MCAD as an undergrad. Her parents were “aggressively supportive” of her decision, but also clear about the financial sacrifice. Their message: “Don’t screw around.” Motivated by the exceptional talent surrounding her, Luna took courses in comic arts, animation, illustration, and graphic design; landed internships every summer; discovered her activist voice which she uses to this day; and worked in MCAD’s in-house Service Bureau and DesignWorks.

Her sophomore year was a pivotal one. Luna decided to attend a small-press expo on the East Coast, sharing a corner of a table with some MCAD alumni. With prints of her book Clementine Fox on display, she managed to sell only three copies, leaving her emotionally and financially deflated. Unbeknownst to her, one of those books was purchased by the publisher of Calvin and Hobbes, ultimately leading to a contract for a webcomic series of her book.

Luna knew she needed guidance on how to navigate this professional world of comics and publishing. On a whim, she called her favorite comic artist’s agent to ask if she would like to represent her. As she sees it, her bravery was really “naive arrogance,” but it paid off in spades. They have been partners ever since.

Luna proves that those small risks can change everything. In 2018, Luna landed her first book deal. Originally conceived at MCAD, Clementine Fox and the Great Island Adventure was published in 2023 by Scholastic. Written for six- to eleven-year-olds, it’s about a group of adventurous animals learning the value of deep connection.

After stints at Netflix, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Warner Bros., Luna now works as a color designer for an upcoming show on Amazon Prime. It allows her to focus on a soon-to-be-pitched graphic novel that deals with the angst of being a teen girl. It’s more serious in nature, but thoughtfully addresses her fondness for “clumsy growth,” similar to her own. What has always inspired her work? “Little, energetic girls who ruffle feathers.”