31/07/2026
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TODAY'S CREATIVE
Noah Olayinka Aliu (3D Artist)
Noah Olayinka Aliu (NOA)
QUESTIONS
(1) TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
My name is Noah Olayinka Aliu, founder/creative director of NOA Studios and better known as Noah Olayinka Aliu (NOA) on social media. I have worked with top African studios like Magic Carpet and Animax FYB, but I’m now focused on telling my own stories, in my own voice.
A 3D artist and storyteller from Nigeria. Over the years, I have built a strong community by telling visual stories that celebrate our culture and identity, using stylized 3D art and animation. You may know me as Noah Olayinka Aliu (NOA) online.
Now, I’m working on something deeper. A story that reflects who we are, where we come from, and why our names carry power. It’s called Oruko, and I believe we can bring this to life.
(2) HOW DID YOU DISCOVER 3D ART AND ANIMATION
I’ve always known about animation since childhood, especially from the days of OGTV weekend children's cartoon shows where they aired animation programs like Batman, Spider-Man, etc.
But I discovered animation as a form of creative art in my first year in university, sometime around 2013. I got a couple of tutorials from a classmate who also got them from a senior course mate, and that was how it all started.
(3) WHAT DEFINES YOUR CREATIVE STYLE AS A 3D ARTIST
My culture and Africa at large. My 3D style is inspired by the sculpture style of my African ancestors, especially from my Yoruba heritage. These sculptures often range from stylized to abstract, and that mix really shaped how I created this style.
I came up with Eyecon with a clear goal in mind: to create iconic versions of individuals who have done great things in their own fields. I made the eyes unusually big to highlight the "eye" in Eyecon. I also avoid natural-looking or concave nostrils because these are not realistic models. They are icons in the graphic design sense—simplified, symbolic versions of real people.
I draw a lot from African figurines in terms of proportion, especially the ones I grew up seeing. I always focus on the subject’s most noticeable feature, exaggerate that, and let it guide the entire form.
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