I rarely go into a painting without some kind of plan, but "Bubbles" was one of those rare times I just sort of went of it. All I had at the start was the notion of a bear in a tub. There was the thought of doing it with a farm or cowboy theme; outside in a wooden tub. But as I began to draw, I doodled a guy blowing suds and bubbles - which after some refinement, became the actual drawing I used. The bubble blowing bear didn't have the right vibe for the cowboy in a wooden tub outside anymore, so I began looking around online for inspiration. When I saw an ad for a spa, or resort, or something, featuring a claw footed tub with a bamboo mat in front of it, which I clearly used, but ended up drawing in some wainscoting on the wall behind, that meshed with everything surprisingly well. Staining it blue was such a last minute afterthought, I don't know where it came from, but I'm so glad I did it, because I think that's what truly brought the piece together.
The rubber ducky was even more last minute - drawn in after painting had already started... but I think it was a nice touch.