Drawing takes practice and time!
Don't be suprised that your drawings suck if you only draw once a year. It figures that people would be upset about that, since people get upset about having to wait a day to download a movie illegally off the net... Drawing actually takes effort (just like riding a bike once did). Which leads to the next tip:
Don't let laziness ruin your art!
Lack of inspiration only means you can't figure out how to draw that image in your head. Don't look for something external to give you motivation to draw. And don't worry if you're drawings come out bad. Keep it, and use it to view your progress, or to make sure you never make that mistake again. We can't expect every thing we do to be a masterpiece. Don't let that get in the way of your work.
Now for the more technical stuff. I primarily do fairly realistic stuff (human figures, faces to be more exact), so don't expect much for abstract art. The only tip I can say for that, is have fun.
Part 1: The Basics
Part 2: The Basics with shading
Processes
This section shows drawings that I have posted up and the process of making them. Commentary is included and yes, it's filled with my good ol' random distractions and tangents.
Art is more skill oriented than talent. Sure some people may have a knack at it at a young age, but that doesn't mean you won't ever get to their level. I tend to find that a lot of people who are "naturals" tend to do the worse in art classes toward the end. They show off at the beginning but then put no effort in the rest of the class (if they'd follow the first tip in bold, this wouldn't happen!). These are the most important tips I have.