I would say this isn't a beginner's blank. I've been turning pens since 1999, acrylics for at least 19 years. Now I'll be the first to admit, in spite of my experience, I'm not really a talented turner. I can't even use a skew properly. At the risk of blowing my own horn, I will say I've had many more successes than failures. A lot of that, though, is from pure dumb luck rather than any talent on my part. Polyester resin and inlace acrylester are the most challenging blanks I've turned, and I truly hate them. I would recommend starting with acrylic acetate (AA) blanks. They're softer, easier to turn, and more forgiving. After that, I would try Rhino blanks. They're more "chippy" and harder than AA blanks, but not as difficult as PR and IA. There is a huge variety of Rhino blanks with some truly spectacular ones.