Pencil portrait of Avery

Graphite pencil drawing of a Avery on A4 Daler Rowney Airbrush Bristol board.

Pencils: Various Mars Lumograph (6H to 8B),  Faber Castell 9000 6B to 8B, mechanical pencil 0.3mm/2B, 0.5mm/4B.
Blending: Blending stumps from Royal Langnickel, cotton buds and paper tissues.
Erasing: WH Smith kneadable eraser, Jakar battery eraser, Tonbow Mono Zero Ultra-Fine eraser, Faber Castell Perfection eraser pencil. 

My thanks go to clippercarrillo (Rene Carillo) for his kind permission to make this drawing from the lovely photo taken by his nine year old granddaughter, Taylor, of her younger sister, Avery.  Please read the description under the reference photo Taken by a nine Year Old for more details.

I chose to make this drawing, not only because the reference was so enchanting, but because I knew that the very soft image and the hair would present a  challenge.  Having started, I knew I would try to do my very best so as not to disappoint Avery and Taylor.  Although I am not 100% satisfied with the drawing, I do not think that any more tinkering would improve it.

Edited 29 September 2014:  Photo replaced with a better one, with improved resolution and more even illumination.

Some more of my drawings of young girls