a cartoon

oil pastel on canvas - work in process

From the Art Glossary at Painting.About.com:

While in the 21st century we mostly think of a comic strip or animated film when we hear the word cartoon, in a painting context a cartoon is a full-sized, preparatory drawing for a painting, fresco, mosaic, or mural. Such cartoons were used for planning paintings, and pricked with fine holes to transferring the drawing to a canvas. The drawing was then placed against the canvas and powdered charcoal then dabbed with a cloth through the holes, transferring the design on to canvas.