On further thought about media meaning both the mark-making substance and the substrate, we did a bit of web research and found the term "support medium" used in some articles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panel_painting 
"Ground" would not be a good term in printmaking because in etching it refers to the coating "soft ground" or "hard ground' used to coat the plate and protect it against the acid, except where marks are made with the etching needle. I know it's a different branch of printmaking but it adds further potential confusion.
Geoff

-----Original Message-----
From: SciArt-L Discussion List-for Natural Science Illustration- [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stephen DiCerbo
Sent: Thursday, 6 October 2011 10:47 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [SCIART] I am looking for a word.. Doh!

thanks all,,


context does seem to matter....     the sentence I am struggling with 
roughly says  "he used fabric instead of paper as a XXXXXX  in this 
printmaking method."

Ground may have been the term that was flittering around the back of 
my head, but I would relate that to something like gesso is to 
canvas. The medium here  would be ink and words like panel or support 
seem too specific and board-like, Surface seems too general (I am 
describing a technique)

I guess  my tendency is to go with substrate  as of now, but it does 
seem a bit geological  :^)


If anything  comes to mind  give a shout...  my grammer proof reader 
is a tough one...

Stephen







At 09:47 AM 10/5/2011, you wrote:
>Interesting.   I have never been able to come up with a satisfactory word
>that covers everything and usually call it the surface, or simply refer to
>whatever is being used...board (or hardboard) canvas, paper.  I find a lot
>of the public use the term "canvas" generically, even with regard paper used
>for watercolour.  Panel is also used a lot, for any hard surface, it seems.
>
>Barry
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: SciArt-L Discussion List-for Natural Science Illustration-
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kathleen Garness
>Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 8:19 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [SCIART] I am looking for a word.. Doh!
>
>'ground' may also be used when you're talking about a specific
>surface, such as gesso, that is applied to the bottom layer, or
>'support'. (Usually the word 'support' is used for something hard like
>a panel, though.)
>
>That's my recollection from my classes in medieval painting anyway.
>
>K
>
>

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