The Wonders Of May (2019 Wallpapers Edition)

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Cosima has been an editor at SmashingMag since 2013. Whenever she’s not writing articles for the weekly Smashing Newsletter, she’s probably working on a … More about Cosima ↬

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Artists and designers from across the globe once again got out their favorite tools and designed unique and inspiring wallpapers to welcome the new month. The wallpapers all come in versions with and without a calendar and can be downloaded for free. At the end of this post, we also collected some May favorites from past years’ wallpapers editions that are too good to gather dust somewhere down in the archives. Available with and without a calendar for May 2019. Enjoy!

We always try our best to challenge your creativity and get you out of your comfort zone. A great occasion to do so is our monthly wallpapers challenge which has been going on for nine years already. It’s an opportunity to let your creative ideas run free and try something new, to indulge in a little project just for fun. Whatever technique you fancy, whatever story you want to tell with your wallpaper, the submissions to this challenge make for a unique bouquet of community artworks each month anew. Artworks that adorn desktops and, who knows, maybe even spark new ideas.

In this post, you’ll find wallpapers for May 2019, created with love by designers and artists from across the globe. The wallpapers all come in versions with and without a calendar and can be downloaded for free. At the end of this post, we also collected some May favorites from past years’ wallpapers editions that are too good to gather dust somewhere down in the archives.

Now before you decide on your favorite this month, we want to say thank-you to everyone who shared their artworks with us. And, well, if you’re feeling inspired, did you know that your work could get featured in one of our upcoming wallpapers posts, too? We’re always looking for fresh talent, so don’t be shy, join in. ;-)

April Showers Bring Magnolia Flowers

“April and May are usually when everything starts to bloom, especially the magnolia trees. I live in an area where there are many and when the wind blows, the petals make it look like snow is falling.” — Designed by Sarah Masucci from the United States.

Drawing of Magnolia petals dancing in the air.

The Wriggling Glory Of River Uvac

“Did you know that there are around 65 pairs of griffon vultures in Serbia? And did you know that one of their natural habitats is located at the river Uvac canyon? Nested between Zlatibor and Zlatar mountains, the wriggling flow of river Uvac is one of the most recognizable marks of Western Serbia and one of the most beautiful natural scenes in the country. And yes, May is just the perfect time to visit and enjoy its glory.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Photo collage of a main enjoying the view over the river Uvac and its canyon.

Floral Impression

“My main inspiration behind this were the blooming flowers in May. My mother collects blue and white Japanese china which was the pot inspiration. The blues and pinks together are what I find to be one of the most complimentary color palettes.” - Designed by Olivia Osborne from Pennsylvania.

Floral Impression

Lookout At Sea

“I wanted to create something fun and happy for the month of May. It’s a simple concept, but May is typically the time to adventure out into the world and enjoy the best of Spring.” - Designed by Alexander Jubinski from the United States.

Illustration of a tiny island in the sea which houses a lighthouse and a small house.

Happy Birthday To Papú!

“May is the month of celebration! We are happy to share with you the Papú’s birthday.” - Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

Illustration of two cats with balloons, a birthday cake, garlands, and a Happy Birthday sign.

May Mountains

Designed by Harley LeBlanc from the United States.

Abstract illustration of pink mountains with the sun rising.

Cool As An Octopus

“A fear I need to conquer inspired this wallpaper design. I never really liked the ocean because of how much we don’t know about it or anything that lives in it. However, I have decided to try and focus on the beautiful parts of this great unknown by choosing an octopus.” - Designed by Alexandra Covaleski from the United States.

Cool As An Octopus

Stranded

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Illustration of the Smashing Cat’s rocket which has landed on the moon and seems to have technical difficulties.

Sun’s Out, Tongues Out

“May reminds me of long car rides while the cool breeze whips through the open windows. What better companion to have than a big friendly dog? Cool breeze, warm sun, and a furry friend.” - Designed by Samantha Strausser from the United States.

Drawing of a Saint Bernard dog sticking its head out of the car window, enjoying the ride.

Hello Spring!

“I was at a local bike shop the other day, and I saw one of the vintage bikes. I loved the shape of it. I also was inspired by May flowers.” - Designed by Olivia Bartoli from the United States.

Illustration of a pennyfarthing decorated with red flowers.

Oldies But Goodies

Whimsical, adventurous, delicate — the May wallpapers which reached us in the past few years are as different as the artists who created them. Here are some of our favorites from the past. Which one is yours? (Please note that these designs come from our archives, and, thus, don’t include a calendar.)

Lake Deck

“I wanted to make a big painterly vista with some mountains and a deck and such.” - Designed by Mike Healy from Australia.

Illustration of a beautiful lake landscape as seen through the open flap of a roof top tent.

It’s Finally May, My Deer

“After going through a super long winter, I was inspired to create this whimsical wallpaper because I wanted to highlight the beauty of nature and how I envision it to be during the warmer seasons that have yet to come.” - Designed by Michaela Schmidt from Maryland.

Illustration of a pair of deer antlers decorated with colorful flowers.

All Is Possible In May

“Edwin Way Teale once said that ‘the world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.’ Now that the entire nature is clothed with grass and branches full of blossoms that will grow into fruit, we cannot help going out and enjoying every scent, every sound, every joyful movement of nature’s creatures. Make this May the best so far!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Illustration of a couple having a picknick.

Spring Gracefulness

“We don’t usually count the breaths we take, but observing nature in May, we can’t count our breaths being taken away.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

Abstract illustration of a swan.

Cruel Life

Designed by Elise Vanoorbeek (Doud Design) from Belgium.

Illustration showing three kids. Two kids are happily eating ice-cream, while the other kid is sad because it dropped his ice-cream. The text on the wallpaper reads ‘Sometimes life is cruel’.

Stone Dahlias

Designed by Rachel Hines from the United States.

Watercolor illustration of pastel-colored stones with stone dahlias growing on top of them.

Field Wild Flowers

“Springtime festival celebrated with May blossoms.” — Designed by Richard George Davis from South Africa.

A photo of a wild flower field.

Enjoy May!

“Springtime, especially Maytime is my favorite time of the year. And I like popsicles — so it’s obvious isn’t it?” — Designed by Steffen Weiß from Germany.

The wallpaper reads ‘Enjoy May’. The word May is made up of popsicles.

Birds Of May

“A little-known ‘holiday’ on May 4th known as ‘Bird Day’. It is the first holiday in the United States celebrating birds. Hurray for birds!” — Designed by Clarity Creative Group from Orlando, FL.

Illustration of four flying birds.

Always Seek Knowledge

“‘As knowledge increases, wonder deepens.’ (Charles Morgan) So I tried to create an illustration based on this.” — Designed by Bisakha Datta from India.

Always Seek Knowledge

Magical Sunset

“I designed Magical Sunset as a friendly reminder to take a moment and enjoy life around you. Each sunset and sunrise brings a new day for greatness and a little magic.” - Designed by Carolyn Warcup from the United States.

Illustration of a reading woman sitting on top of a ladder in the light of a street lamp.

Mental Health Awareness Day

Designed by Kay Karremans from Belgium.

Cartoon illustration of a brain.

Game Boy

Designed by Sander Geenen from Belgium.

Illustration of a vintage handheld Game Boy.

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!

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