Soft. Hard. Bumpy. Flat. Smooth. Rough.

One element of art came alive Thursday for about a dozen area children during a workshop at the Albert Lea Art Center.

Called Experience Creativity, the workshop aimed to teach the ins and outs of the element of texture and how variations in texture can contribute to a piece of art.

It was the first in a series of workshops the staff and members of the Art Center hope to put on for area youth. Additional workshops are in the planning stages for this fall.

“We need to get more kids in here,” said Pat Garbish with the Art Center. “That’s the goal.”

During the two-hour workshop on Thursday, Art Center members tried to define texture to the children and then led them on a mini field trip to the Art on Broadway gift shop and the permanent collection, where they were to search for different textures.

After doing this, the children created their own projects using the information they learned about texture.

The students decorated rough, bumpy paper pumpkin lanterns with items of various textures, including plastic bugs and other critters, fake leaves, glitter pens, markers and other decorations.

“You can make art out of just about anything,” said Marty Shepherd with the Art Center.

The children created a variety of pumpkin lanterns — ones that were scary, some were pretty and others were creative.

Following the project, the children critiqued each project, pointing out things they liked about each.