diff --git a/src/v_draw.cpp b/src/v_draw.cpp
index e2890841b..ce502c772 100644
--- a/src/v_draw.cpp
+++ b/src/v_draw.cpp
@@ -333,6 +333,7 @@ bool DCanvas::ParseDrawTextureTags (FTexture *img, double x, double y, DWORD tag
 	int intval;
 	bool translationset = false;
 	bool virtBottom;
+	bool fillcolorset = false;
 
 	if (img == NULL || img->UseType == FTexture::TEX_Null)
 	{
@@ -539,6 +540,7 @@ bool DCanvas::ParseDrawTextureTags (FTexture *img, double x, double y, DWORD tag
 
 		case DTA_FillColor:
 			parms->fillcolor = va_arg(tags, uint32);
+			fillcolorset = true;
 			break;
 
 		case DTA_Translation:
@@ -711,7 +713,7 @@ bool DCanvas::ParseDrawTextureTags (FTexture *img, double x, double y, DWORD tag
 
 	if (parms->style.BlendOp == 255)
 	{
-		if (parms->fillcolor != ~0u)
+		if (fillcolorset)
 		{
 			if (parms->alphaChannel)
 			{
diff --git a/src/v_video.h b/src/v_video.h
index 5250cdaa9..7593b7b4b 100644
--- a/src/v_video.h
+++ b/src/v_video.h
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ enum
 	DTA_DestWidth,		// width of area to draw to
 	DTA_DestHeight,		// height of area to draw to
 	DTA_Alpha,			// alpha value for translucency
-	DTA_FillColor,		// color to stencil onto the destination
+	DTA_FillColor,		// color to stencil onto the destination (RGB is the color for truecolor drawers, A is the palette index for paletted drawers)
 	DTA_Translation,	// translation table to recolor the source
 	DTA_AlphaChannel,	// bool: the source is an alpha channel; used with DTA_FillColor
 	DTA_Clean,			// bool: scale texture size and position by CleanXfac and CleanYfac