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Along with AhziDahaka, CattyN, and Sutibaru, I have a similar veiwpoint.
Art is a difficult subject to question and expect a rock-solid answer from--now you can get opinions, but not concrete answers--well, at least for me. I compare professional and amatuer (or what you call "home-brew," underpaid, or free) works all the time. In comparison of skills, I see some are better and some are worse, regardless of the professionalism or artistry background. I also see a range of tastes, styles, and techniques used.
Some artists are more fortunate than others to get an offer from a publisher, or even to think of signing up for a publisher to publish his or her works. Also, the artist has a choice of whether or not he or she wants to pursue an education in art. Does that define professionalism--or maybe a higher quality--in an artist's work? Not exactly.
I honestly believe that all artists, whether profesional or not, start off "home-brewing" and later on the may get something out of it, whether it be money or just experience. A forum such as this, as well as art communities like deviantART, are great places for a home-brew artist to improve by way of communication with others--one of the main components on how an artist improves anyway.
In reality, no one really gives a care about what kind of art background or credentials you have, only company (the ones that hire you) and those reputation-seeking-type people do. The quality of an artist's work comes from his or her final product--that's it. And from there is when the work is worthy of having an opinionated discussion.
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