I still have a LOT of details to add before this will be complete but I think it's coming along nicely. I used layers of HB blended with a chamois, then 2B for the skin tone (which is very smooth looking right now but it won't be much longer). I used a 9xxb for the pupil and a combination of 2B and 4B for the irises. The hair is 2B, 4B and a little 9xxb. I didn't really know what I wanted to do with the background of this drawing so it sat on my drawing table, untouched, for nearly two weeks intimidating me. So, last night, I just jumped in and started randomly applying graphite with some General's graphite sticks (2B, 4B and 6B) and blended my graphite "splotches" with a cotton pad. With the first layer I thought "Oh no, I've just ruined this whole thing!" but I kept on layering and blending. Finally, the drawing itself seemed to decide what it wanted the background to be and now I have a clearer image in my mind of where to go from here.
To get you caught up with the procedure up to this point, here is a pictorial summary of the work in progress:
Stay tuned for more updates!!!!!