Wow! Nice gift. :thumb::thumb: Your VL is the same as the one that I've been using for the past 30 years or so: did your friend not give you the literature that came with the airbrushes? I can scan what I got with mine, if you'd like.
I learned to airbrush using this model, and if you know nothing else about airbrushes that might prejudice your opinions, there's no reason why you can't learn on it too. The only difference between your two models is the swivel connection on the VLS.
I learned to paint using lacquer-based paints like Floquil, but these will also spray acrylics. As Kevin notes, though, acrylics tend to clog-up the tip more and I find clean-up to be much more time-consuming. Surprisingly, spraying acrylics at a lower pressure seemed to produce less clogging, but clean-up is still a pain.
By all means, buy or build a spray booth, and vent it to the outdoors. None of these vapours are good for you and the smell and dust is not something that you'll want in the house. Also, even with a spray booth, buy a good quality two-stage respirator and use it properly.
Wayne