Starting off the new month with an inspiration boost, that’s the idea behind our monthly wallpapers series which has been going on for more than nine years already. What makes it special: the wallpapers are created by the community for the community, and everyone who has an idea for a wallpaper design is welcome to submit it — no matter if they are experienced designers or aspiring artists.

For this April edition, people from across the globe once again took on the creative challenge to cater for some variety on your screens. The result: a colorful collection of unique and inspiring wallpapers dedicated to the big and small joys of April. All wallpapers come in versions with and without a calendar and can be downloaded for free. Thank you to everyone who participated!

As a bonus goodie, you’ll also find a little April best-of at the end of this post. Please note that these wallpapers come from our archives, and, thus, are only available without a calendar. Enjoy!

Please note that:

• All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper,
• You can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them?

Further Reading on SmashingMag:

• How To Create A Flat Vector Illustration In Affinity Designer
• Make ‘Em Shine: How To Use Illustrations To Elicit Emotions
• How To Create Dramatic Vector Illustrations
• How To Draw A Cartoon In Illustrator

Dreaming

“The moment when you just walk and your imagination fills up your mind with thoughts.” — Designed by Gal Shir from Israel.

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• with calendar: 340×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 340×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Inspiring Blossom

“‘Sweet spring is your time is my time is our time for springtime is lovetime and viva sweet love’, wrote E. E. Cummings. And we have a question for you. Is there anything more refreshing, reviving, and recharging than nature in blossom? Don’t wait. Go outside and enjoy this lovely flourishing season. Let it inspire us all to rise up, hold our heads high, and show the world what we are made of. It’s time to bloom!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

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• with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

April Showers

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

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• without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Gentle Blooming

“After so many months of grey winter weather, I can’t wait to feel the warmth of sun rays on my skin, to see and smell the flavor of blooming flowers and trees… Thinking about all this inspired me to create these blooming flowers in gentle warm colors.” — Designed by Yuliia Bahniuk from Ukraine.

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• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

Spring Serenity

“My inspiration was the arrival of spring that transmits a sense of calmness and happiness through its beautiful colors.” — Designed by Margarida Granchinho from Portugal.

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• with calendar: 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440
• without calendar: 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440

Egg Hunt In Wonderland

“April is Easter time and I wanted to remind us that there’s a child inside all of us. My illustration is based on the story that fills our imagination since childhood, Alice in Wonderland, and joined to one of the most traditional customs in America at this time of year, the egg hunt. That’s how we get an ‘egg hunt in wonderland’.” — Designed by Patrícia Garcia from Portugal.

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• with calendar: 800×480, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 800×480, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440

Wonderful Things

“If you need to find anything beautiful, there is no better place than nature. Everything in nature is unique and beautiful in its own way!” — Designed by Dental Expression from Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

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• without calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050

In The River

“Spring is here! Crocodiles search the hot and stay in the river.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

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• without calendar: 640×480, 800×480, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Freedom

“My choice to represent the month of April was the 25th of April in 1974 in Portugal, also known as the great revolution for freedom (‘Revolução dos Cravos’). It started with a political and social movement, which deposed the dictatorial regime of the New State. This date will always inspire us and remind us that freedom is worth fighting for and that people united are stronger than any kind of tyranny. For this reason, my project is called Freedom.” — Designed by Mirella Damasceno from Portugal.

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• without calendar: 1280×1024, 1680×1200, 1920×1440

Signs

Designed by Tatiana Campos from Portugal.

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• without calendar: 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1680×1050, 2560×1440

Happy Easter!

“Celebrated all around the world in Christian tradition, April is the month of Easter. For kids Easter is about bunnies and painted eggs. Because April is also the month of early spring I chose joyful colours to give life to this lovely Easter illustration.” — Designed by Joana Duarte from Portugal.

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• without calendar: 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1200

Hanami

“Every year around April, the cherry blossom marks the beginning of spring in Japan. There is a tradition of watching this phenomenon which the locals refer to as ‘Hanami’ — flower viewing. This event occurs for a short time because of the cherry blossom’s short lifespan. The concept of Hanami reminds us that we should appreciate and even celebrate life in all its beauty and fragility while we can.” — Designed by Tetyana Malakhova from Portugal.

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• without calendar: 1280×720, 1366×768, 1680×1050, 1920×1080

Aphrodite

“Every month of our calendar is named after a god or goddess. The month of April is named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.” — Designed by Rita Falé from Portugal.

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• without calendar: 1440×900, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

From The Archives

A lot of things have inspired the community to create their April wallpapers in the past few years — be it a tasty bowl of soup on a rainy day or grabbing their bike and exploring new places. Below you’ll find some of these almost forgotten favorites. Please note that they don’t come with a calendar.

April Is The Nicest Month

“T.S. Eliot wrote in 1922 that ‘April is the cruelest month,’ but we quite disagree. April is the month when spring has finally come so nature starts blooming, providing us with more time to go out into nature and enjoy nice weather, long walks, and riding a bike. This is our message to you: go out and play. We surely will.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

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• without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Wildest Dreams

“We love the art direction, story and overall cinematography of the ‘Wildest Dreams’ music video by Taylor Swift. It inspired us to create this illustration. Hope it will look good on your desktops.” — Designed by Kasra Design from Malaysia.

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• without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

No Winter Lasts Forever

“Here comes spring, breathing new life into the world around us.” — Designed by Norjimm Pvt Ltd from India.

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April Insignia

“April — its first day reminds us that laughter makes life better. Nature also laughs, but it does so in daisies!” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

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• without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Once Upon A Time

“April is the month of spring but also the month of books. ‘A book is a proof that humans are capable of doing magic.’ (Carl Sagan)” — Designed by Verónica Valenzuela from Spain

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Nikes On My Feet

“We got inspired by the song ‘Nikes on My Feet’ by Mac Miller, which was perfect for the upcoming month of April and the warm weather that spring brings. As Mac Miller said, ‘All I really need is some shoes on my feet…” — Designed by PopArt Web Design from Serbia.

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Colors Of April

“My daughter was born in April so this month reminds me of that colorful, bright and precious moment.” — Designed by Izabela Grzegorczyk from Poland.

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Bad Bunny

“This bad bunny is just waiting for Easter.” — Designed by Izabela from Poland.

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Springing

“It’s spring already, my favourite season! You can smell it, you can see it, you can feel it in the air. Trees blossom, the grass is smiling at the sun, everything is so eager to show itself.” — Designed by Vane Kosturanov from Macedonia.

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• without calendar: 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Rainy Day

Designed by Xenia Latii from Berlin, Germany.

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Spring Fever

“I created that mouse character for a series of illustrations about a poem my mom often told me when I was a child. In that poem the mouse goes on an adventure. Here it is after the adventure, ready for new ones.” — Designed by Anja Sturm from Germany.

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Citrus Passion

Designed by Nathalie Ouederni from France.

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Sweet April Showers Do Bring May Flowers

“Discover the seasonal fruits and vegetables in April: artichoke and beans walking in the rain!” — Designed by Vitaminas Design from Spain.

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Ipoh Hor Fun

“Missing my hometown’s delicious ‘Kai See Hor Fun’ (in Cantonese), that literally translates to ‘Shredded Chicken Flat Rice Noodles’. It is served in a clear chicken and prawn soup with chicken shreds, prawns, spring onions and noodles.” — Designed by Lew Su Ann from Brunei.

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• without calendar: 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440

Noisy Neighbors

Designed by Katerina Bobkova from Ukraine.

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Jean-Cloud Van Damme

“Hope that this little cloud will make you laugh. Happy Fools’ Day everybody.” Designed by Marika Smirnova from Russia.

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Umbrella Season

“In my neck of the woods, April means a lot of rain, and therefore a lot of umbrellas. I’ve noticed a lot of pretty unique umbrellas out there, especially when I walked to class in college. Happy Umbrella Season!” — Designed by Angelia DiAntonio from Ohio, USA.

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• without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1440

Join In Next Month!

Please note that we respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience throughout their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.

Thank you to all designers for their participation. Join in next month!