diff --git a/docs/examples/clear_pixel.py b/docs/examples/clear_pixel.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..338c409
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/examples/clear_pixel.py
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+from textual.app import App, ComposeResult
+from textual.color import Color
+
+from textual_canvas import Canvas
+
+
+class ClearPixelApp(App[None]):
+    CSS = """
+    Canvas {
+        background: $panel;
+        color: blue;
+    }
+    """
+
+    def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
+        yield Canvas(30, 30, Color.parse("cornflowerblue"))
+
+    def on_mount(self) -> None:
+        self.query_one(Canvas).draw_line(10, 10, 15, 10).clear_pixel(12, 10)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    ClearPixelApp().run()
diff --git a/docs/examples/clear_pixels.py b/docs/examples/clear_pixels.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1abea0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/examples/clear_pixels.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+from textual.app import App, ComposeResult
+from textual.color import Color
+
+from textual_canvas import Canvas
+
+
+class ClearPixelsApp(App[None]):
+    CSS = """
+    Canvas {
+        background: $panel;
+        color: blue;
+    }
+    """
+
+    def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
+        yield Canvas(30, 30, Color.parse("cornflowerblue"))
+
+    def on_mount(self) -> None:
+        self.query_one(Canvas).draw_line(10, 10, 16, 10).clear_pixels(
+            (
+                (11, 10),
+                (13, 10),
+                (15, 10),
+            )
+        )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    ClearPixelsApp().run()
diff --git a/docs/source/guide.md b/docs/source/guide.md
index b1a9d12..08fd49f 100644
--- a/docs/source/guide.md
+++ b/docs/source/guide.md
@@ -55,10 +55,9 @@ style this with CSS just as you always would. But the canvas itself -- the
 area that you'll be drawing in inside the widget -- can have its own
 background colour.
 
-By default the canvas background colour will be set to the widget's
-background colour; but you can pass
-[`canvas_color`][textual_canvas.canvas.Canvas] as a parameter to change
-this.
+By default the canvas background colour will be the widget's background
+colour; but you can pass [`canvas_color`][textual_canvas.canvas.Canvas] as a
+parameter to change this.
 
 To illustrate, here is a `Canvas` widget where no background colour is
 specified, so the canvas background and the widget background are the same:
@@ -96,13 +95,6 @@ background colour when we create it:
 
     1. Note how `Canvas` is given its own background colour.
 
-!!! note
-
-    The defaulting of the canvas background to the widget's background is
-    something that only happens when the widget is mounted. If you style the
-    widget's background differently later on, the canvas' background **will
-    not change accordingly**.
-
 #### The pen colour
 
 The `Canvas` widget has a "pen" colour; any time a drawing operation is
@@ -111,13 +103,6 @@ default that colour is taken from the
 [`color`](https://textual.textualize.io/styles/color/) styling of the
 widget.
 
-!!! note
-
-    The defaulting of the pen colour to the widget's colour is
-    something that only happens when the widget is mounted. If you style the
-    widget's `color` differently later on, the canvas' pen colour **will
-    not change accordingly**.
-
 ## Drawing on the canvas
 
 The canvas widget provides a number of methods for drawing on it.
@@ -221,6 +206,38 @@ circle on the canvas. For example:
     --8<-- "docs/examples/draw_circle.py"
     ```
 
+### Clearing a single pixel
+
+Use [`clear_pixel`][textual_canvas.Canvas.clear_pixel] to set a pixel's
+colour to the canvas' colour. For example:
+
+=== "Clearing a single pixel"
+
+    ```{.textual path="docs/examples/clear_pixel.py"}
+    ```
+
+=== "clear_pixel.py"
+
+    ```python
+    --8<-- "docs/examples/clear_pixel.py"
+    ```
+
+### Clearing multiple pixels
+
+Use [`clear_pixels`][textual_canvas.Canvas.clear_pixels] to set the colour
+of multiple pixels to the canvas' colour. For example:
+
+=== "Clearing multiple pixels"
+
+    ```{.textual path="docs/examples/clear_pixels.py"}
+    ```
+
+=== "clear_pixels.py"
+
+    ```python
+    --8<-- "docs/examples/clear_pixels.py"
+    ```
+
 ## Further help
 
 You can find more detailed documentation of the API [in the next
diff --git a/src/textual_canvas/__main__.py b/src/textual_canvas/__main__.py
index 7720110..8992796 100644
--- a/src/textual_canvas/__main__.py
+++ b/src/textual_canvas/__main__.py
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ class CanvasTestApp(App[None]):
     """
 
     BINDINGS = [
-        ("r", "clear(255, 0, 0)"),
-        ("g", "clear(0, 255, 0)"),
-        ("b", "clear(0, 0, 255)"),
+        ("r", "canvas(255, 0, 0)"),
+        ("g", "canvas(0, 255, 0)"),
+        ("b", "canvas(0, 0, 255)"),
     ]
 
     def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
@@ -61,10 +61,9 @@ def its_all_dark(self) -> None:
 
         canvas.focus()
 
-    def action_clear(self, red: int, green: int, blue: int) -> None:
-        """Handle the clear keyboard action."""
-        self.query_one(Canvas).clear(Color(red, green, blue))
-        self.its_all_dark()
+    def action_canvas(self, red: int, green: int, blue: int) -> None:
+        """Change the canvas colour."""
+        self.query_one(Canvas).styles.background = Color(red, green, blue)
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/src/textual_canvas/canvas.py b/src/textual_canvas/canvas.py
index c0af2e0..47b7ba8 100644
--- a/src/textual_canvas/canvas.py
+++ b/src/textual_canvas/canvas.py
@@ -66,6 +66,11 @@ def __init__(
             id: The ID of the canvas widget in the DOM.
             classes: The CSS classes of the canvas widget.
             disabled: Whether the canvas widget is disabled or not.
+
+        If `canvas_color` is omitted, the widget's `background` styling will
+        be used.
+
+        If `pen_color` is omitted, the widget's `color` styling will be used.
         """
         super().__init__(name=name, id=id, classes=classes, disabled=disabled)
         self._width = width
@@ -76,25 +81,16 @@ def __init__(
         """The background colour of the canvas itself."""
         self._pen_colour = pen_color
         """The default pen colour, used when drawing pixels."""
-        self._the_void: list[Color] = []
-        """The final empty line if the last row isn't part of the canvas."""
-        self._canvas: list[list[Color]] = []
+        self._canvas: list[list[Color | None]] = self._blank_canvas
         """The canvas itself."""
         self.virtual_size = Size(width, ceil(height / 2))
 
     @property
-    def _blank_canvas(self) -> list[list[Color]]:
+    def _blank_canvas(self) -> list[list[Color | None]]:
         """A blank canvas."""
-        canvas_colour = self._canvas_colour or self.styles.background
-        return [[canvas_colour for _ in range(self.width)] for _ in range(self.height)]
-
-    def on_mount(self) -> None:
-        """Initialise the widget once the DOM is mounted."""
-        # Now that we know the background colour, because CSS will have been
-        # applied, we can create the void line.
-        self._the_void = [self.styles.background for _ in range(self._width)]
-        # For the same reason, it's now safe to actually create the canvas.
-        self._canvas = self._blank_canvas
+        return [
+            [self._canvas_colour for _ in range(self.width)] for _ in range(self.height)
+        ]
 
     @property
     def width(self) -> int:
@@ -106,6 +102,10 @@ def height(self) -> int:
         """The height of the canvas in 'pixels'."""
         return self._height
 
+    def notify_style_update(self) -> None:
+        self.refresh()
+        return super().notify_style_update()
+
     def _outwith_the_canvas(self, x: int, y: int) -> bool:
         """Is the location outwith the canvas?
 
@@ -145,12 +145,13 @@ def clear(self, color: Color | None = None) -> Self:
             making the canvas is used, this in turn becomes the new default
             color (and will then be used for subsequent clears, unless
             another color is provided).
+
+            Explicitly setting the colour to [`None`][None] will set the
+            canvas colour to whatever the widget's `background` colour is.
         """
-        if color is not None:
-            self._canvas_colour = color
+        self._canvas_colour = color or self._canvas_colour
         self._canvas = self._blank_canvas
-        self.refresh()
-        return self
+        return self.refresh()
 
     def set_pen(self, color: Color | None) -> Self:
         """Set the default pen colour.
@@ -209,12 +210,7 @@ def clear_pixels(self, locations: Iterable[tuple[int, int]]) -> Self:
         Note:
             The origin of the canvas is the top left corner.
         """
-        color = self._canvas_colour or self.styles.background
-        for x, y in locations:
-            self._pixel_check(x, y)
-            self._canvas[y][x] = color
-        self.refresh()
-        return self
+        return self.set_pixels(locations, self._canvas_colour)
 
     def set_pixel(self, x: int, y: int, color: Color | None = None) -> Self:
         """Set the colour of a specific pixel on the canvas.
@@ -264,7 +260,7 @@ def get_pixel(self, x: int, y: int) -> Color:
             The origin of the canvas is the top left corner.
         """
         self._pixel_check(x, y)
-        return self._canvas[y][x]
+        return self._canvas[y][x] or self.styles.background
 
     def draw_line(
         self, x0: int, y0: int, x1: int, y1: int, color: Color | None = None
@@ -431,7 +427,7 @@ def render_line(self, y: int) -> Strip:
             y: The line to render.
 
         Returns:
-            A `Strip` that is the line to render.
+            A [`Strip`][textual.strip.Strip] that is the line to render.
         """
 
         # Get where we're scrolled to.
@@ -446,24 +442,42 @@ def render_line(self, y: int) -> Strip:
             # Yup. Don't bother drawing anything.
             return Strip([])
 
+        # Set up the two main background colours we need.
+        background_colour = self.styles.background
+        canvas_colour = self._canvas_colour or background_colour
+
+        # Reduce some attribute lookups.
+        height = self._height
+        width = self._width
+        canvas = self._canvas
+
         # Now, the bottom line is easy enough to work out.
         bottom_line = top_line + 1
 
         # Get the pixel values for the top line.
-        top_pixels = self._canvas[top_line]
+        top_pixels = canvas[top_line]
 
-        # It's possible that the bottom line might be in the void, so...
+        # It's possible that the bottom line might be outwith the canvas
+        # itself; so here we set the bottom line to the widget's background
+        # colour if it is, otherwise we use the line form the canvas.
         bottom_pixels = (
-            self._the_void if bottom_line >= self.height else self._canvas[bottom_line]
+            [background_colour for _ in range(width)]
+            if bottom_line >= height
+            else canvas[bottom_line]
         )
 
         # At this point we know what colours we're going to be mashing
         # together into the terminal line we're drawing. So let's get to it.
+        # Note that in every case, if the colour we have is `None` that
+        # means we're using the canvas colour.
         return (
             Strip(
                 [
-                    self._segment_of(top_pixels[pixel], bottom_pixels[pixel])
-                    for pixel in range(self.width)
+                    self._segment_of(
+                        top_pixels[pixel] or canvas_colour,
+                        bottom_pixels[pixel] or canvas_colour,
+                    )
+                    for pixel in range(width)
                 ]
             )
             .crop(scroll_x, scroll_x + self.scrollable_content_region.width)