Thanks for your comment, that's really cool. This is only my 5th digital painting though, so I do still feel like a beginner. I'm still trying to work out a workflow that I can use to get better (too much fiddling with detail too soon is my biggest problem).
Tell you what, if Jazza mentions it and suggests it should be in the open category, I'll go for that next time ;-)
I noticed that your entry was pretty cool for a first attempt too! http://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/mr-rondin/sabin-from-ff6

Edit :
Wow! Erm... I won :) OK, from now on, I'll only enter the open competition level, not the beginner.

Thank you for your kind words :)