is paper a good ground or not?

[mark]

i love egg tempera but i have people wanting paintings and the time it takes to gesso the pannals is stainning my time tables.so is there any tips to paper use or just suck it up and do it right?

[Alessandra Kelley]

Oh boy, I'm not sure. I used to tell my students not to paint on paper because tempera eventually gets brittle and might crack off. But I have since heard evidence that it's the chalk gesso, not the egg, that causes the problems. I've also seen some temperas from the early twentieth century on paper which are holding up well (albeit in museum conditions).

[Salamander]

You could rsg glue paper to a board, give another coat of glue and et from there.
Eric in Oceanside

[jeff]

I've got an old book on painting techniques that seems to expect most egg tempera painting to be done on tinted paper. It should be as good if not better in staying attached than watercolour which uses amuch more brittle binding agent ie gum arabic. I've done it on paper and it is perfectly OK. board is just nicer.

jeff