diff --git a/src/_imaging.c b/src/_imaging.c
index 2f884b5387d..897e718e30a 100644
--- a/src/_imaging.c
+++ b/src/_imaging.c
@@ -2876,15 +2876,12 @@ _font_getmask(ImagingFontObject *self, PyObject *args) {
         free(text);
         return NULL;
     }
-    im = ImagingNewDirty(self->bitmap->mode, xsize, self->ysize);  // Emptied below
+    im = ImagingNew(self->bitmap->mode, xsize, self->ysize);
     if (!im) {
         free(text);
         return ImagingError_MemoryError();
     }
 
-    b = 0;
-    (void)ImagingFill(im, &b);
-
     b = self->baseline;
     for (x = 0; text[i]; i++) {
         glyph = &self->glyphs[text[i]];