drawing ..!?

I got started by looking at all kinds of pictures for reference (poses, body types, hairstyles, eye sizes, etc), and then started coming up with characters of my own. The two girls in my avatar are my own characters, as a matter of fact. Just make sure you love what you're doing above all else, and keep practicing. I've drawn for years, purely for pleasure thus far, and I still love doing it, and trying to get better at it.

I'm a member of deviant art and that's the way I want to go if/whenever I feel my stuff is post-worthy. As for starting to draw hentai/doujinshi-ish material, as a novice the only thing I can say is reiterate what has already been posted - practice, decide on your style, and practice some more. I'm pretty much in the same boat as you, but I will say it's amazing how far I've come in a year and a half. Every so often, I look at my earlier drafts and get a kick outta them. They look like I drew them as if I was 6 years old. I started off old school by sketching my stuff by hand and then scanning it into my tablet to ink but now I strictly use my tablet from start to finish.