Marquetry need not take weeks or even months to create and this fact alone discourages many from pursuing the craft. To illustrate the point to a group I gave a presentation to, I made a marquetry picture (see below) in a weekend. Taking a simple pattern with 20 individual pieces I cut them, and the border, in a few hours. The next morning the front, back and edges were pressed. By evening I was able to scrape and sand the picture. To finish it I applied 3 coats of spirit varnish.
All this was accomplished using materials and methods that have been around for centuries, but the important thing to remember is that this is not extremely hard. Being comfortable in the way you execute marquetry and trusting the medium are, I think, the most important. It helps to know the basics of the craft which can be self-taught or learned in a class. With a little knowledge many more people could be inspired to take up marquetry.
