Thanks, well... it happens. I think I could've done better if I started earlier :)

Indeed I was aware...just lazy. Sorry I was 1/2 right. That being said, I'm surprised your entry didn't place in the top 3.

You can check when pieces are submitted.

Thanks for the tip...and not to be a prick...but I'm pretty sure offwhite's entry "survival of the fittest" and andrio's "mind the gap" were submitted before yours and neither contains a human

No, people may use outside references while making pixel art. As per site rules, you have to make sure you put all pixels yourself (no color reducing etc.) that's all.

So yes you could post your line art if you so wish.

Nice work, but I sort of assumed that all works were original unless otherwise specified. Should I then post my line art to prove unique works? Just wondering...

Thanks a lot for the reference, it's very easy and works good. I'll try it after I get back from work.

Thanks for your kind words, the design is also mine; here I uploaded it :)

 @Gecimen: Although I still don't quite grasp grass-making techniques myself, I'd suggest having a look at the images in this Frogatto forum post (the images are screenshots of a Frogatto RPG mod being worked on by Jetrel): http://www.frogatto.com/forum/index.php?topic=249.msg1827#msg1827 He utilizes simple patterns using minimal colors to create a texture that reads as grass without employing any dithering, and IMO it's the best method of creating pixel-art grass I've seen to date. Of course, it doesn't work stylistically for every application, but it should be relatively easy to build off of it if you want to take it in a different direction.

On that note, the creature design you've used here alone deserves one my votes, and the fact that you did this in only three hours is also impressive!

Well said Partack, I still haven't studied how to make grass and knowing I would fail had I tried it now, I just skipped. Thanks for your kind words!

 wonderfully well placed dithering gecimen. I should learn from this piece as I find dithering to sometimes make or break my pictures.

the pose and anatomy for both rider and beast seem pretty spot on and natural too.

I have only one qualm though, the shadow under the beast seems very flat and .. like a splodge ..  the grass underneath would still have some texture I think.. or it needs that little sprinkle of dithering maybe..