As has been mentioned before get some empty 2litre clear plastic bottles. Practice on them, you use hardly any paint anyway and with the bottles being surplus to requirement once the fizzy sugary drink has been consumed it's a good way to practice effects rather than doing them on a shell and it not coming out right.
All the great works of art we see from anyone famous - Leonardo - Picasso - Van gogh - Turner - Monet, any of these, they all had practice pieces we never saw. You shouldn't be any different, it's all practice and you don't need to just discard these ( well, unless it turns out completely dreadful ), so if someone comes around to see your stuff you can say 'I can do this effect I think it would look quite cool' and they can physically see it even if it is on half a bottle... they don't need to see the ones before it that went wrong but you get to practice which is better than practicing on someones shell, especially if they're paying you, however little, you shouldn't do anything on a job for someone unless you have complete faith it will come out well.
Practice Practice Practice!!!
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