Studying Portrait Lighting with a Mannequin Head

A few weeks ago I decided I needed to study light direction more closely. I've since noticed that the photographers I admire consistently have good highlight and shadow patterns on the faces of their subjects, something that I didn't really notice before. I was trying to figure out the ideal positions for lights to produce classic portrait patterns and had a difficult time with self-portrait experiments. I did try taking test shots of my wife and child to analyze highlight and shadow patterns but it wasn't easy, and my wife found it annoying. I finally decided I needed to get a mannequin head. In some ways, I thought a mannequin head would be better than even a real subject (even one with infinite patience) because the head wouldn't move and therefore would be easier to study.