Gina Scott/Winonan

The Winona Arts Center is a small, quiet building on the corner of Fifth and Franklin Street, where a wide range of art is created inside.

While the center is a place for local and regional artists to create their work, it is also a place for inexperienced artists to take classes and further supplement their artistic abilities as well.

With classes ranging from monoprint making to “Mindful Doodling,” there is something for everyone at different skill levels.

Dirk Nelson, an assistant at the Winona Arts Center, suggests the monotype class for beginners who are interested in printmaking.

Monotypes are made by painting and rolling inks onto glass or metal. By applying pressure, the ink transfers to the paper laid on the slab of material.

“You can get some nice looking prints without having great drawing skills because you can use so many different materials and precut stencils,” Nelson said.

Nelson often teaches students how to create a monoprint. Last week he used simple Halloween decorations as stencils, various paint colors and a slab of reusable glass to make fun prints. The decorations can easily be found at Wal-Mart or Dollar Tree. In past years, the center has held classes on Valentine’s Day and other holidays where they have used this technique to make cards.

While this process sounds simple enough, Nelson and other artists at the center take careful time to make sure the print turns out as best as it can. The paper is dampened before it is placed on the roller, but before that, Nelson takes a good look at the paper to determine which side will hold paint the best.

The Winona Arts Center offers various classes for all ages and they have available slots for more students.

“We mostly get students who are either very young or very old,” Nelson said.

According to Nelson, the Winona Arts Center would love to see more college students and believe anybody could benefit from an art class.

“[The Winona Arts Center] provides wholesome entertainment,” Nelson said. “Current art students at Winona State can supplement their work at school here in our studio.”

However, the center is not just for art students. The classes provided at the center are easily adaptable to students of all skill levels. Nelson believes taking a drawing class could be very valuable to any student.

“In many instances, communicating an idea can be greatly enhanced with a picture and some of the concepts covered [in the center’s drawing classes] can give a student the confidence to undertake a quick and simple drawing and many times just having confidence in a skill can make the outcome much better,” Nelson said.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, the Winona Arts Center is hosting “FREE Ink Day.” All ages are welcome, including students from Winona State University. People are welcome to come learn the process of making monoprints from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and create autumn-themed artwork to kick off the fall season.

For more information about upcoming classes offered at the Winona Arts Center, check out their Facebook page and website at winonaarts.org. Any questions can be answered by emailing [email protected].