The only record of his work in the first decade of his independent activity is an engraving by Jan van de Velde copied from the lost portrait of "The Minister Johannes Bogardus". Early works by Hals show him as a careful draughtsman capable of great finish yet spirited, such as "Two singing boys with a lute and a music book" and "Banquet of the Officers of the St George Militia" (1616). The flesh that he painted is pastose and burnished, less clear than it subsequently became. Later, he became more effective, displayed more freedom of hand and a greater command of effect.