Eager young artists took part in the first of 24 school holiday art workshops at the Art Gallery of Ballarat on Monday – making pirates in a bottle inspired by the gallery’s current exhibition Romancing the Skull.

With artist Chris Ellis at the helm, the young art fans designed their pirate, right down to their boot straps, then created a tropical island in a bottle for their pirate to live in.

Over the next three weeks, hundreds of children will take part in the workshops with traditional Latin crafts, pirates, skulls, Jolly Rogers, screenprinting and a range of other artistic styles and projects all on the program.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat presents the workshops, but they are the brainchild of local artists with a background in education.

“The workshop presenters are all local artists with a background in both practical art and education,” said gallery spokesman Peter Freund.

“We call for submissions and ideas they select a varied program, with the activities usually linked in with or inspired by aspects of our current exhibition.”

Mr Freund said the workshops were an important part of helping children explore their creativity, and help them build a relationship with art and the gallery.

“It really helps build our gallery community. We want children to have an experience outside of school where they can make, they can be creative, and they can do that in a situation and in the context of a place that is all about creativity and art.”

“They can see what they can do and what they can achieve with their own imagination and creativity in relation to what they can see on the walls in the art gallery.”

Many workshops start with a visit to the exhibition or artworks that have provided the theme for the half-day or full-day class.

“The artist will draw the childrens’ attention to particular things in the exhibition they would like them to consider in the workshop, then they generally go back to the studio to create,” Mr Freund said.

For the full program visit artgalleryofballarat.com.au