Robert’s sketchbooks include, along with studies and ideas for paintings, more relaxed drawings of friends. He is able to draw faces using very few contour lines, suggesting forms through delicate cross-hatching. The women seem to have been caught almost by surprise by the artist; there is a strong sense they will dash off at any moment. This fleeting quality is enhanced by the presence of the bird. These friends of Robert’s were not artists, but they were creative and musical, and Robert collaborated on writing a few humorous songs with them.