Did Frans Hals make preparatory drawings before painting?

While most 17th-century painters typically approached their work slowly using preparatory drawings, underpainting, and elaborate finishing techniques, there is no certain evidence that Frans Hals followed this method.1

Instead, it appears that Hals likely began his work directly on the canvas and painted with great speed. He favored a technique involving quick, loose strokes of bright color that suggested rather than enclosed form, allowing him to leave his initial spontaneous expression—which functioned almost like an oil sketch—as the finished work. This approach provided his portraits with a striking sense of immediacy and vitality that he maintained throughout his career.1