It's not necessarily ruining it
you will be having plenty of goes before you're happy with the end result! I can't think of any sites that a google search won't yield. Just jump in, work in stages, and make sure you finish whatever you start!
I've found vaseline to be invaluable as a smoothing medium. Try everything you read about in blogs and forums and pick what works for you! And share your work
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!