diff --git a/headers/private/servers/app/Painter.h b/headers/private/servers/app/Painter.h
index e6bba007b2..b9e8467018 100644
--- a/headers/private/servers/app/Painter.h
+++ b/headers/private/servers/app/Painter.h
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ class ServerFont;
 // * most all functions should take a DrawData* context parameter instead
 //   of the current pattern argument, that way, each function can
 //	 decide for itself, which pieces of information in DrawData it
-//   needs
+//   needs -> well I'm not so sure about this, there could also
+//   be a DrawData member in Painter fGraphicsState or something...
 // * Painter itself should be made thread safe. Because no
 //   ServerWindow is supposed to draw outside of its clipping region,
 //   there is actually no reason to lock the DisplayDriver. Multiple
@@ -66,6 +67,8 @@ class Painter {
 			void				SetDrawingMode(drawing_mode mode);
 			void				SetBlendingMode(source_alpha alphaSrcMode,
 												alpha_function alphaFncMode);
+			void				SetPattern(const pattern& p);
+
 			void				SetPenLocation(const BPoint& location);
 			void				SetFont(const BFont& font);
 			void				SetFont(const ServerFont& font);
@@ -220,6 +223,7 @@ class Painter {
 
 			void				_UpdateFont();
 			void				_UpdateLineWidth();
+			void				_UpdateDrawingMode();
 
 								// drawing functions stroke/fill
 			BRect				_DrawTriangle(	BPoint pt1,
@@ -258,7 +262,6 @@ class Painter {
 			template<class VertexSource>
 			BRect				_FillPath(VertexSource& path) const;
 
-			void				_SetPattern(const pattern& p) const;
 			void				_SetRendererColor(const rgb_color& color) const;
 
 	agg::rendering_buffer*		fBuffer;
diff --git a/headers/private/servers/app/PatternHandler.h b/headers/private/servers/app/PatternHandler.h
index c0f227f133..4544b422bb 100644
--- a/headers/private/servers/app/PatternHandler.h
+++ b/headers/private/servers/app/PatternHandler.h
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ class Pattern {
 
 			Pattern&			operator=(const pattern &from)
 									{ memcpy(&fPattern.type64, &from, sizeof(pattern)); return *this; }
+
+			bool				operator==(const Pattern& other) const
+									{ return fPattern.type64 == other.fPattern.type64; }
+
  private:
 
 	typedef union
@@ -128,6 +132,8 @@ class PatternHandler {
 
 			const pattern*		GetR5Pattern(void) const
 									{ return (const pattern*)fPattern.GetInt8(); }
+			const Pattern&		GetPattern(void) const
+									{ return fPattern; }
  private:
 			Pattern				fPattern;
 			RGBColor			fHighColor;
diff --git a/src/servers/app/drawing/Painter/Painter.cpp b/src/servers/app/drawing/Painter/Painter.cpp
index be1eba9f3f..78b74a7213 100644
--- a/src/servers/app/drawing/Painter/Painter.cpp
+++ b/src/servers/app/drawing/Painter/Painter.cpp
@@ -153,14 +153,25 @@ Painter::SetDrawData(const DrawData* data)
 	SetHighColor(data->highcolor.GetColor32());
 	SetLowColor(data->lowcolor.GetColor32());
 	SetPenSize(data->pensize);
-	SetDrawingMode(data->draw_mode);
-	SetBlendingMode(data->alphaSrcMode, data->alphaFncMode);
 	SetPenLocation(data->penlocation);
 	SetFont(data->font);
 //	if (data->clipReg) {
 //		ConstrainClipping(*data->clipReg);
 //	}
+	// any of these conditions means we need to use a different drawing
+	// mode instance
+	bool updateDrawingMode = !(data->patt == fPatternHandler->GetPattern()) ||
+		data->draw_mode != fDrawingMode ||
+		(data->draw_mode == B_OP_ALPHA && (data->alphaSrcMode != fAlphaSrcMode ||
+										   data->alphaFncMode != fAlphaFncMode));
+
+	fDrawingMode = data->draw_mode;
+	fAlphaSrcMode = data->alphaSrcMode;
+	fAlphaFncMode = data->alphaFncMode;
 	fPatternHandler->SetPattern(data->patt);
+
+	if (updateDrawingMode)
+		_UpdateDrawingMode();
 }
 
 // #pragma mark -
@@ -213,11 +224,7 @@ Painter::SetDrawingMode(drawing_mode mode)
 {
 	if (fDrawingMode != mode) {
 		fDrawingMode = mode;
-		if (fPixelFormat) {
-			fPixelFormat->set_drawing_mode(DrawingModeFactory::DrawingModeFor(fDrawingMode,
-																			  fAlphaSrcMode,
-																			  fAlphaFncMode));
-		}
+		_UpdateDrawingMode();
 	}
 }
 
@@ -228,11 +235,18 @@ Painter::SetBlendingMode(source_alpha alphaSrcMode, alpha_function alphaFncMode)
 	if (fAlphaSrcMode != alphaSrcMode || fAlphaFncMode != alphaFncMode) {
 		fAlphaSrcMode = alphaSrcMode;
 		fAlphaFncMode = alphaFncMode;
-		if (fDrawingMode == B_OP_ALPHA && fPixelFormat) {
-			fPixelFormat->set_drawing_mode(DrawingModeFactory::DrawingModeFor(fDrawingMode,
-																			  fAlphaSrcMode,
-																			  fAlphaFncMode));
-		}
+		if (fDrawingMode == B_OP_ALPHA)
+			_UpdateDrawingMode();
+	}
+}
+
+// SetPattern
+void
+Painter::SetPattern(const pattern& p)
+{
+	if (!(p == *fPatternHandler->GetR5Pattern())) {
+		fPatternHandler->SetPattern(p);
+		_UpdateDrawingMode();
 	}
 }
 
@@ -999,6 +1013,36 @@ Painter::_UpdateLineWidth()
 	fLineProfile.width(fPenSize);	
 }
 
+// _UpdateDrawingMode
+void
+Painter::_UpdateDrawingMode()
+{
+	if (fPixelFormat) {
+		DrawingMode* mode = NULL;
+		pattern p = *fPatternHandler->GetR5Pattern();
+		if (p == B_SOLID_HIGH) {
+			_SetRendererColor(fPatternHandler->HighColor().GetColor32());
+			mode = DrawingModeFactory::DrawingModeFor(fDrawingMode,
+													  fAlphaSrcMode,
+													  fAlphaFncMode,
+													  true);
+		} else if (p == B_SOLID_LOW) {
+			_SetRendererColor(fPatternHandler->LowColor().GetColor32());
+			mode = DrawingModeFactory::DrawingModeFor(fDrawingMode,
+													  fAlphaSrcMode,
+													  fAlphaFncMode,
+													  true);
+		} else {
+			mode = DrawingModeFactory::DrawingModeFor(fDrawingMode,
+													  fAlphaSrcMode,
+													  fAlphaFncMode,
+													  false);
+		}
+		fPixelFormat->set_drawing_mode(mode);
+	}
+		
+}
+
 // #pragma mark -
 
 // _DrawTriangle
@@ -1282,39 +1326,6 @@ Painter::_FillPath(VertexSource& path) const
 	return _Clipped(_BoundingBox(path));
 }
 
-// _SetPattern
-void
-Painter::_SetPattern(const pattern& p) const
-{
-// TODO: currently unused, purpose is to construct
-// special drawing mode instances that work on solid patterns
-// currently, there is only such a thing for B_OP_COPY
-	if (!(p == *fPatternHandler->GetR5Pattern())) {
-printf("Painter::_SetPattern()\n");
-		fPatternHandler->SetPattern(p);
-		DrawingMode* mode = NULL;
-		if (p == B_SOLID_HIGH) {
-			_SetRendererColor(fPatternHandler->HighColor().GetColor32());
-			mode = DrawingModeFactory::DrawingModeFor(fDrawingMode,
-													  fAlphaSrcMode,
-													  fAlphaFncMode,
-													  true);
-		} else if (p == B_SOLID_LOW) {
-			_SetRendererColor(fPatternHandler->LowColor().GetColor32());
-			mode = DrawingModeFactory::DrawingModeFor(fDrawingMode,
-													  fAlphaSrcMode,
-													  fAlphaFncMode,
-													  true);
-		} else {
-			mode = DrawingModeFactory::DrawingModeFor(fDrawingMode,
-													  fAlphaSrcMode,
-													  fAlphaFncMode,
-													  false);
-		}
-		fPixelFormat->set_drawing_mode(mode);
-	}
-}
-
 // _SetRendererColor
 void
 Painter::_SetRendererColor(const rgb_color& color) const