diff --git a/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/drawing-redraw.js b/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/drawing-redraw.js
index ff00873ac..dc9c83673 100644
--- a/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/drawing-redraw.js
+++ b/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/drawing-redraw.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import * as util from '../../../util';
 import * as math from '../../../math';
+import * as eleTextureCache from './ele-texture-cache';
 
 var CRp = {};
 
@@ -260,13 +261,31 @@ CRp.renderTo = function( cxt, zoom, pan, pxRatio ){
   } );
 };
 
+CRp.clearCanvas = function(){
+  var r = this;
+  var data = r.data;
+  function clear(context) {
+    context.clearRect(0, 0, r.canvasWidth, r.canvasHeight);
+  };
+  clear(data.contexts[ r.NODE ]);
+  clear(data.contexts[ r.DRAG ]);
+};
+
+
 CRp.render = function( options ){
   var r = this;
   options = options || util.staticEmptyObject();
 
+  var cy = r.cy; 
+
   if( r.webgl ){
-    r.renderWebgl( options );
-    return;
+    if( cy.zoom() > eleTextureCache.maxZoom ) {
+      r.clearWebgl();
+    } else {
+      r.clearCanvas();
+      r.renderWebgl( options );
+      return;
+    }
   }
 
   var forcedContext = options.forcedContext;
@@ -275,7 +294,6 @@ CRp.render = function( options ){
   var forcedZoom = options.forcedZoom;
   var forcedPan = options.forcedPan;
   var pixelRatio = options.forcedPxRatio === undefined ? this.getPixelRatio() : options.forcedPxRatio;
-  var cy = r.cy; 
   var data = r.data;
   var needDraw = data.canvasNeedsRedraw;
   var textureDraw = r.textureOnViewport && !forcedContext && (r.pinching || r.hoverData.dragging || r.swipePanning || r.data.wheelZooming);
diff --git a/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/ele-texture-cache.js b/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/ele-texture-cache.js
index 8eaa4c80b..ef47d07fd 100644
--- a/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/ele-texture-cache.js
+++ b/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/ele-texture-cache.js
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ import ElementTextureCacheLookup from './ele-texture-cache-lookup';
 const minTxrH = 25; // the size of the texture cache for small height eles (special case)
 const txrStepH = 50; // the min size of the regular cache, and the size it increases with each step up
 const minLvl = -4; // when scaling smaller than that we don't need to re-render
-const maxLvl = 3; // when larger than this scale just render directly (caching is not helpful)
-const maxZoom = 7.99; // beyond this zoom level, layered textures are not used
+export const maxLvl = 3; // when larger than this scale just render directly (caching is not helpful)
+export const maxZoom = 7.99; // beyond this zoom level, layered textures are not used
 const eleTxrSpacing = 8; // spacing between elements on textures to avoid blitting overlaps
 const defTxrWidth = 1024; // default/minimum texture width
 const maxTxrW = 1024; // the maximum width of a texture
diff --git a/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/webgl/drawing-redraw-webgl.js b/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/webgl/drawing-redraw-webgl.js
index 7f3d23828..4e4348c0a 100644
--- a/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/webgl/drawing-redraw-webgl.js
+++ b/src/extensions/renderer/canvas/webgl/drawing-redraw-webgl.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import * as mat from './matrix';
+import * as eleTextureCache from '../ele-texture-cache';
 
 const CRp = {};
 
@@ -28,6 +29,12 @@ CRp.initWebgl = function(options) {
   });
 }
 
+CRp.clearWebgl = function() {
+  const r = this;
+  const gl = r.data.contexts[r.WEBGL];
+  gl.clear(gl.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
+};
+
 
 function createVertexArrays(eles) {
   const nodeVertexArray = [];
@@ -264,29 +271,33 @@ function bufferNodeData(r, gl, program, vertices) {
 
   // texture(s)
   const layers = 2;
-  const textures = [];
-  const node = vertices.nodes[0];
+  const textures = new Array(layers);
+  const node = vertices.nodes[0]; // TODO temp
   
   for(let layer = 0; layer < layers; layer++) {
     const eleCache = getTextureForNode(r, node, layer);
     const texture = gl.createTexture();
-
+    textures[layer] = texture;
     gl.bindTexture(gl.TEXTURE_2D, texture);
-    gl.texImage2D(gl.TEXTURE_2D, 0, gl.RGBA, eleCache.width, eleCache.height, 0, gl.RGBA, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, eleCache.texture.canvas);
-    textures.push(texture);
-
-    gl.texParameteri(gl.TEXTURE_2D, gl.TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, gl.LINEAR);
-    gl.texParameteri(gl.TEXTURE_2D, gl.TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, gl.LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST);
-    gl.generateMipmap(gl.TEXTURE_2D);
+    if(eleCache) {
+      gl.texImage2D(gl.TEXTURE_2D, 0, gl.RGBA, eleCache.width, eleCache.height, 0, gl.RGBA, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, eleCache.texture.canvas);
+      gl.texParameteri(gl.TEXTURE_2D, gl.TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, gl.LINEAR);
+      gl.texParameteri(gl.TEXTURE_2D, gl.TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, gl.LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST);
+      gl.generateMipmap(gl.TEXTURE_2D);
+    } else {
+      gl.texImage2D(gl.TEXTURE_2D, 0, gl.RGBA, 1, 1, 0, gl.RGBA, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, new Uint8Array([0, 0, 0, 0]));
+    }
     gl.bindTexture(gl.TEXTURE_2D, null);
   }
 
   const bind = () => {
     gl.bindVertexArray(vao);
     for(let layer = 0; layer < layers; layer++) {
-      gl.activeTexture(gl.TEXTURE0 + layer);
-      gl.bindTexture(gl.TEXTURE_2D, textures[layer]);
-      gl.uniform1i(program.layerUniforms[layer], layer);  // texture unit
+      if(textures[layer]) {
+        gl.activeTexture(gl.TEXTURE0 + layer);
+        gl.bindTexture(gl.TEXTURE_2D, textures[layer]);
+        gl.uniform1i(program.layerUniforms[layer], layer);  // texture unit
+      } 
     }
   };
   const unbind = () => {
@@ -305,10 +316,10 @@ function getTextureForNode(r, node, layer) {
   const { pixelRatio } = r;
   const cache = layer === 0 ? r.data.eleTxrCache : r.data.lblTxrCache;
   const reason = 'highQuality'; // what does this mean?
-  const lvl = Math.ceil(Math.log2(r.cy.zoom() * pixelRatio)); // not sure how to pick the lvl
+  const lvl = eleTextureCache.maxLvl;
   const bb = cache.getBoundingBox(node);
   const eleCache = cache.getElement(node, bb, pixelRatio, lvl, reason);
-  return eleCache;
+  return eleCache;  // may be null
 }
 
 function createTestTextureCanvas(r) {