Cartoon - Definition

The term Cartoon when applied to art, is a full sized (to scale) and often highly detailed preparation drawing on paper; namely for a fresco, painting on canvas or panel and for tapestries. The Cartoon forms part of an artist's preliminary drawings and sketches, as part of the process of arriving at their final compositional arrangement. (Continued after the break)
The word Cartoon derives from the Italian word cartone, which loosely translates to a large sheet of paper. The Cartoon is then applied and transferred to the final grounding, a panel or gesso covered wall, by being pounced - that is holes are made around the outline of the drawing and markings are made through these holes by for example chalk to create an outline on the final grounding. This is the method used to transfer the design.