Lighting practice with mannequin head

I mentioned in an earlier thread that I was looking for a mannequin head to practice lighting on and I think I got lucky finding this one quite cheap. I'm quite impressed with how realistic the synthetic hair looks and feels. I glued a 1/4" x 20 socket in the base so I can mount her/it on a lighting stand or a tripod. (If I had the rest of her, I could shop for some exotic lingerie to dress her up in!).

I feel a bit of a fraud posting pictures of a mannequin but I have so much to learn about lighting, there's not much point in paying for live models. I ask friends to sit for me when I can but don't get that many opportunities.

Here's a quick shot I took with the single 19" DIY beauty dish I made a while back placed just to camera left and 45 degrees down and about 2 1/2 feet from the face.

What I'm wondering is if this is a useful way to go to practice lighting or am I just wasting my time? I heard some pros say they practice this way as it saves time setting up on location. As far as this shot goes, I think I'd be quite pleased with it if it was a real model. I don't know, maybe it makes no difference what type of light one uses if all you're shooting is a dolls head.

Later, I'll try some 2 or 3 light set ups to get a feel for angles and ratios.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Trevor