Yip don't be afraid to turn the heat up it will smooth out those humps! I do both kinds of welding and prefer Mig as it's cleaner and ya don't have to chip off the flux!
If your running gas, if you run flux core wire then you will have some. Best tip is weld weld weld, practic practice practice. My grandad has welded for 30+ years, and said that before people would go for a pipe test, the would take a 40 foot section of pipe and cut it into 6in pieces, and plan to burn through 3 section before being about to take and pass a test.
I prefer to weld with a stick as well, and turning you heat up will smoot stuff out and make it easier to weld, but you need to watch your metal closer to make sure your not gonna burn through, and make sure its not flexing on ya.