Pillow shading and lack of black are what kill the tree. The middle veins of the tree look like they're getting a soft light right from the front, instead of left.
The house looks awesome! But the tree's shading style suddenly changes...why? :)
is this a BG sprite for a game? It certainly looks like a perfect platform to jump up to while running left to right. Perhaps a re-imagining of Below the Root? Looks great. :)
I dont't like the tree texture very much, and the ground below the tree is weird.
But the house is perfect, I agree it would be more awesome with a BG.
Would be kickass with a background, but it's ok the way it is :3
It reminds me of Metal Slug <3