diff --git a/docs/changelog.txt b/docs/changelog.txt
index d0c7b1abb..08aa39951 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.txt
+++ b/docs/changelog.txt
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ changelog.txt uses a syntax similar to RST, with a few special sequences:
 ## API
 - ``Gui::getDwarfmodeDims``: now only returns map viewport dimensions; menu dimensions are obsolete
 - ``Gui::getDFViewscreen``: returns the topmost underlying DF viewscreen
+- ``Screen::Pen``: now accepts ``keep_lower`` and ``write_to_lower`` properties to support foreground and background textures in graphics mode
 
 ## Lua
 - Removed ``os.execute()`` and ``io.popen()`` built-in functions
@@ -58,10 +59,13 @@ changelog.txt uses a syntax similar to RST, with a few special sequences:
 - ``widgets.CycleHotkeyLabel``: now supports rendering option labels in the color of your choice
 - ``widgets.CycleHotkeyLabel``: new functions ``setOption()`` and ``getOptionPen()``
 - ``widgets.ToggleHotkeyLabel``: now renders the ``On`` option in green text
+- ``widgets.Label``: tiles can now have an associated width
 - `overlay`: ``OverlayWidget`` now inherits from ``Panel`` instead of ``Widget`` to get all the frame and mouse integration goodies
 - ``dfhack.gui.getDFViewscreen()``: returns the topmost underlying DF viewscreen
 - ``gui.ZScreen``: Screen subclass that implements window raising, multi-viewscreen input handling, and viewscreen event pass-through so the underlying map can be interacted with and dragged around while DFHack screens are visible
 - ``gui.View``: new function ``view:getMouseFramePos()`` for detecting whether the mouse is within (or over) the exterior frame of a view
+- ``gui.CLEAR_PEN``: now clears the background and foreground and writes to the background (before it would always write to the foreground)
+- ``gui.KEEP_LOWER_PEN``: a general use pen that writes associated tiles to the foreground while keeping the existing background
 
 ## Internals
 
diff --git a/docs/dev/Lua API.rst b/docs/dev/Lua API.rst
index 90ccdb851..f73af1472 100644
--- a/docs/dev/Lua API.rst	
+++ b/docs/dev/Lua API.rst	
@@ -2266,6 +2266,12 @@ a table with the following possible fields:
     Specifies that the tile should be shaded with *fg/bg*.
   ``tile_fg, tile_bg``
     If specified, overrides *tile_color* and supplies shading colors directly.
+  ``keep_lower``
+    If set to true, will not overwrite the background tile when filling in
+    the foreground tile.
+  ``write_to_lower``
+    If set to true, the specified ``tile`` will be written to the background
+    instead of the foreground.
 
 Alternatively, it may be a pre-parsed native object with the following API:
 
@@ -3654,7 +3660,13 @@ Misc
 
 * ``CLEAR_PEN``
 
-  The black pen used to clear the screen.
+  The black pen used to clear the screen. In graphics mode, it will clear the
+  foreground and set the background to the standard black tile.
+
+* ``KEEP_LOWER_PEN``
+
+  A pen that will write tiles over existing background tiles instead of clearing
+  them.
 
 * ``simulateInput(screen, keys...)``
 
@@ -4582,8 +4594,8 @@ containing newlines, or a table with the following possible fields:
 
 * ``token.width = ...``
 
-  If specified either as a value or a callback, the text field is padded
-  or truncated to the specified number.
+  If specified either as a value or a callback, the text (or tile) field is
+  padded or truncated to the specified number.
 
 * ``token.pad_char = '?'``
 
diff --git a/library/LuaApi.cpp b/library/LuaApi.cpp
index c327efe1b..90815708d 100644
--- a/library/LuaApi.cpp
+++ b/library/LuaApi.cpp
@@ -177,6 +177,17 @@ static bool get_char_field(lua_State *L, char *pf, int idx, const char *name, ch
     }
 }
 
+static bool get_bool_field(lua_State *L, bool *pf, int idx, const char *name, bool defval) {
+    lua_getfield(L, idx, name);
+    bool nil = lua_isnil(L, -1);
+    if (nil)
+        *pf = defval;
+    else
+        *pf = lua_toboolean(L, -1);
+    lua_pop(L, 1);
+    return !nil;
+}
+
 static void decode_pen(lua_State *L, Pen &pen, int idx)
 {
     idx = lua_absindex(L, idx);
@@ -208,6 +219,9 @@ static void decode_pen(lua_State *L, Pen &pen, int idx)
         pen.tile_mode = (lua_toboolean(L, -1) ? Pen::CharColor : Pen::AsIs);
         lua_pop(L, 1);
     }
+
+    get_bool_field(L, &pen.keep_lower, idx, "keep_lower", false);
+    get_bool_field(L, &pen.write_to_lower, idx, "write_to_lower", false);
 }
 
 /**************************************************
diff --git a/library/include/modules/Screen.h b/library/include/modules/Screen.h
index bc8a406a0..9417d60e9 100644
--- a/library/include/modules/Screen.h
+++ b/library/include/modules/Screen.h
@@ -84,6 +84,9 @@ namespace DFHack
             } tile_mode;
             int8_t tile_fg, tile_bg;
 
+            bool write_to_lower = false;
+            bool keep_lower = false;
+
             bool valid() const { return tile >= 0; }
             bool empty() const { return ch == 0 && tile == 0; }
 
diff --git a/library/lua/gui.lua b/library/lua/gui.lua
index ade8d0ceb..50b5fed3a 100644
--- a/library/lua/gui.lua
+++ b/library/lua/gui.lua
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ local getval = utils.getval
 
 local to_pen = dfhack.pen.parse
 
-CLEAR_PEN = to_pen{tile=909, ch=32, fg=0, bg=0}
+CLEAR_PEN = to_pen{tile=909, ch=32, fg=0, bg=0, write_to_lower=true}
+KEEP_LOWER_PEN = to_pen{ch=32, fg=0, bg=0, keep_lower=true}
 
 local FAKE_INPUT_KEYS = {
     _MOUSE_L = true,
diff --git a/library/lua/gui/widgets.lua b/library/lua/gui/widgets.lua
index 4a39efa8e..52c89b63b 100644
--- a/library/lua/gui/widgets.lua
+++ b/library/lua/gui/widgets.lua
@@ -688,7 +688,6 @@ function EditField:onRenderBody(dc)
                                 end_pos == #txt and '' or string.char(26))
     end
     dc:advance(self.text_offset):string(txt)
-    dc:string((' '):rep(dc.clip_x2 - dc.x))
 end
 
 function EditField:insert(text)
@@ -1102,6 +1101,9 @@ function render_text(obj,dc,x0,y0,pen,dpen,disabled)
                 x = x + 1
                 if dc then
                     dc:tile(nil, token.tile)
+                    if token.width then
+                        dc:advance(token.width-1)
+                    end
                 end
             end
 
diff --git a/library/modules/Screen.cpp b/library/modules/Screen.cpp
index ae0a15b5e..a05db1da1 100644
--- a/library/modules/Screen.cpp
+++ b/library/modules/Screen.cpp
@@ -157,7 +157,8 @@ static bool doSetTile_default(const Pen &pen, int x, int y, bool map)
 
     *screen = 0;
     *texpos = 0;
-    *texpos_lower = 0;
+    if (!pen.keep_lower)
+        *texpos_lower = 0;
     gps->screentexpos_anchored[index] = 0;
     // keep SCREENTEXPOS_FLAG_ANCHOR_SUBORDINATE so occluded anchored textures
     // don't appear corrupted
@@ -171,7 +172,8 @@ static bool doSetTile_default(const Pen &pen, int x, int y, bool map)
 
         *screen = 0;
         *texpos = 0;
-        *texpos_lower = 0;
+        if (!pen.keep_lower)
+            *texpos_lower = 0;
         gps->screentexpos_top_anchored[index] = 0;
         *flag &= 4; // keep SCREENTEXPOS_FLAG_ANCHOR_SUBORDINATE
     }
@@ -190,10 +192,13 @@ static bool doSetTile_default(const Pen &pen, int x, int y, bool map)
     }
 
     if (pen.tile && use_graphics) {
-        *texpos = pen.tile;
+        if (pen.write_to_lower)
+            *texpos_lower = pen.tile;
+        else
+            *texpos = pen.tile;
     } else {
         screen[0] = uint8_t(pen.ch);
-        *texpos_lower = 909;
+        *texpos_lower = 909; // basic black background
     }
 
     auto rgb_fg = &gps->uccolor[fg][0];