About Tânia

MY STORY

Hello. I’m Tânia Margarido, a self-taught surface pattern designer based in Lisbon, Portugal.

Tânia

WHO I AM

My background is in Genetics and Microbiology but I decided after finishing my PhD that it was time for a change. I wanted to do something that I really loved for a living and this is IT!

SCIENCE

No regrets whatsoever for having studied Science instead of Arts as it gave me the tools I needed to get me here and a different perspective on things, which is something I truly value. Life is about the journey not the destination.

INTUITION

My creative process always starts with paper and pencil (and often fine liners). Only after I move to working digitally in either Photoshop or Illustrator. I’m very intuitive about my patterns, I know a pattern is right when it feels right.

CREATIVE

I’m a creative person and I love to express myself through art, drawings and by creating patterns. I can really let myself loosen up this way, which I value a lot. Having said that, I’m also a perfectionist and extremely critical towards my work.

STYLE

I’m still in the process of unravelling my signature style as I’m very versatile and I like to try different ways of making art. I would describe my patterns as sweet, dreamy, delicate, naive, but at the same time elegant.

INSPIRATION

I’m very easily inspired by my surroundings but my main inspiration is my hometown (Lisbon), nature (specially flowers) and people (specially my children). There is often a story or a meaning behind my collections.

IMPACT

I love drawing ballerinas (oh, how I love ballerinas!) and floral patterns (who doesn’t love florals?!). I like the idea that my patterns can make people connect with dreams, and have an impact on how they feel around them (and I want people to feel great!).

OTHER PROJECTS OF MINE

I have a few side projects. I love to eternalise moments, places, people in photos. So I take photos all the time… lots of them. I also like writing. I do it when I feel the need to say something I don’t want to forget or that I want my children to know.

Mom of three

Personal Blog

Mãe de 3 (Mom of three in Portuguese) is my blog where I write about my experience as a mother of three wonderful children: Liam, Noah and Anoek. Being a mom is without a doubt the experience that has shaped me the most as a person and continues to do so. My children are the most important and my most challenging project in hands and the one that will have a bigger impact in the world. Each child will influence the lives around them so guiding them to become good people is a very special and a very important task. Through them and through me I want to make a difference everyday!

The Little Boy and the Seagull

Children's Book

This is my first children’s book published in November 2015. My story came to live with the beautiful illustrations of João Rodrigues. The book addresses in a very simple way the arrival of a new baby to the family. Although this is a very magical moment it can nevertheless be an emocional whirlpool to the siblings. I have written this story to Liam and Noah (the seagulls are real!) to create memories and as a way to help Liam dealing with the arrival of his baby brother.

Photography

Instagram

I love photos… I love to see the world through other peoples eyes and I love to take photos myself but… only with my iPhone. I'm not the professional camera type and so far I never felt the need to learn it. I simply take photos if I really want to capture something. Having my phone with me makes it possible to register moments or little things that otherwise would go unnoticed or would otherwise be forgotten.