Fighting Stallions

Circa 1960, age 8. I was big on horses then. My teacher in grade 3 was a woman named Irene Mabbs who encouraged me, endlessly, to draw.  Any time I drew something I'd take it up to Mrs. Mabbs in class for attention (which she invariably gave me). Mom took Mrs. Mabbs' opinion seriously and also encouraged me to draw so I'd say it was because of those two women that I went into art at university.
I did a lot of horse drawings when I was little; this is one of the few that has survived. It was done in coloured pencil – Laurentian brand.

Ah yes, Laurentian coloured pencils. How I loved those pencils; it was a BIG deal to get a new set and GREAT hearbreak if your favourite colour sharpened down to an unusable nib.  Swift Current had a store called the Star Weekly which sold Laurentians by the single pencil which was important because your favourites were always getting used up.   My best friend Lois had a set too, and we drew horses all the time, lovingly choosing our favourite colours for each animal. (buckskin or pinto).

Laurentian pencil crayons (also spelled Laurentien) were an iconic part of many Canadian students' school supply checklists and many Canadians fondly remember using them in school. These colour pencils were made in Canada by the Venus Pencil Company. They were also sold in the US under the brand name 'Paradise.' Each colour was labeled with a number for use with Colour-By-Number kits. Production of these pencils in Canada ceased in the mid-1990s. Laurentiens continued production in the US until about 2011 when the product line was discontinued. I swear that aside from the bar code, this is the exact same packaging I remember.