Apache Tomcat Tutoring, HSQL DB Database, USER Login and Profile setup help

I'm using Java, Apache Tomcat, HSQLDB, SSL, Http Session Tracking, JDBC, SQL. I have done most of the work, but I'm getting tired of these little problems that take days to figure out. I've been through the docs and have tested SSL. Though I need to acquire an official certificate. I have setup hsqldb and tested various sql operations through servlets. I have read and did some setup work for getting user login and authorization via web form and tomcat authorization. This is to use database for authentication but have not tested it. I virtually know it won't work the first time I try it. I have to set it up so that the user can login, edit a profile, later like a blog reply to an article. But for now all the benefit a user will have is the option to receive update emails about the web site. I have some of the code ready for an admin page to send that email to members. I'd like the user to be able to upload an image to the database for profile image. And it would probably need to be pending admin approval. But for now I just need to know how to code the html and sql needed to allow uploading an image. Checking image size or re-sizing may be needed too. And in all of this I need to integrate my captcha app which is on the current comment form. I'm not really looking for someone to do this work but help coach me through it. And maybe assist me in reading docs and testing on their end to help work through some problems. My web site right now is [login to view URL]