diff --git a/src/backends.jl b/src/backends.jl
index 4ba64565..9d64f9c7 100644
--- a/src/backends.jl
+++ b/src/backends.jl
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ supportedMarkers(::AbstractBackend) = [:none]
 supportedScales(::AbstractBackend) = [:identity]
 subplotSupported(::AbstractBackend) = false
 stringsSupported(::AbstractBackend) = false
-nativeImagesSupported(::AbstractBackend) = false
+nativeImagesSupported(b::AbstractBackend) = :image in supportedTypes(b)
 
 supportedAxes() = supportedAxes(backend())
 supportedTypes() = supportedTypes(backend())
diff --git a/src/backends/gr.jl b/src/backends/gr.jl
index fcb0f298..725b9672 100644
--- a/src/backends/gr.jl
+++ b/src/backends/gr.jl
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ supportedStyles(::GRBackend) = [:auto, :solid, :dash, :dot, :dashdot, :dashdotdo
 supportedMarkers(::GRBackend) = vcat(_allMarkers, Shape)
 supportedScales(::GRBackend) = [:identity, :log10]
 subplotSupported(::GRBackend) = true
-nativeImagesSupported(::GRBackend) = true
+# nativeImagesSupported(::GRBackend) = true
 
 
 
@@ -722,14 +722,11 @@ function gr_display(sp::Subplot{GRBackend}, w, h, viewport_canvas)
         GR.settextcolorind(gr_getcolorind(xaxis[:foreground_color_text]))
 
         if axes_2d
+            # draw the grid lines
             GR.setlinewidth(1)
             # GR.setlinetype(GR.LINETYPE_DOTTED)
-            GR.setlinecolorind(gr_getcolorind(sp[:foreground_color_grid]))
-            ticksize = 0.0075 * window_diag
-            if outside_ticks
-                ticksize = -ticksize
-            end
             if grid_flag
+                GR.setlinecolorind(gr_getcolorind(sp[:foreground_color_grid]))
                 GR.grid(xtick, ytick, 0, 0, majorx, majory)
                 # @show dark_bg, xtick, ytick, majorx, majory
                 # if dark_bg
@@ -738,6 +735,11 @@ function gr_display(sp::Subplot{GRBackend}, w, h, viewport_canvas)
                 #     GR.grid(xtick, ytick, 0, 0, majorx, majory)
                 # end
             end
+
+            ticksize = 0.0075 * window_diag
+            if outside_ticks
+                ticksize = -ticksize
+            end
             # TODO: this should be done for each axis separately
             GR.setlinecolorind(gr_getcolorind(xaxis[:foreground_color_axis]))
             if num_axes == 1
diff --git a/src/backends/pyplot.jl b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
index bbd0fb3e..af6c23ed 100644
--- a/src/backends/pyplot.jl
+++ b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ supportedStyles(::PyPlotBackend) = [:auto, :solid, :dash, :dot, :dashdot]
 supportedMarkers(::PyPlotBackend) = vcat(_allMarkers, Shape)
 supportedScales(::PyPlotBackend) = [:identity, :ln, :log2, :log10]
 subplotSupported(::PyPlotBackend) = true
-nativeImagesSupported(::PyPlotBackend) = true
+# nativeImagesSupported(::PyPlotBackend) = true
 
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/recipes.jl b/src/recipes.jl
index f7027b41..5b8e9005 100644
--- a/src/recipes.jl
+++ b/src/recipes.jl
@@ -361,12 +361,14 @@ function my_hist(v, bins; normed = false, weights = nothing)
     edges = calc_edges(v, bins)
     counts = zeros(length(edges)-1)
 
+    # add a weighted count
     for (i,vi) in enumerate(v)
         idx = bucket_index(vi, edges)
         counts[idx] += (weights == nothing ? 1.0 : weights[i])
     end
 
-    norm_denom = normed ? sum(counts) : 1.0
+    # normalize by bar area?
+    norm_denom = normed ? sum(diff(edges) .* counts) : 1.0
     if norm_denom == 0
         norm_denom = 1.0
     end
@@ -395,13 +397,15 @@ function my_hist_2d(x, y, bins; normed = false, weights = nothing)
     xedges, yedges = calc_edges_2d(x, y, bins)
     counts = zeros(length(yedges)-1, length(xedges)-1)
 
+    # add a weighted count
     for i=1:length(x)
         r = bucket_index(y[i], yedges)
         c = bucket_index(x[i], xedges)
         counts[r,c] += (weights == nothing ? 1.0 : weights[i])
     end
 
-    norm_denom = normed ? sum(counts) : 1.0
+    # normalize to cubic area of the imaginary surface towers
+    norm_denom = normed ? sum((diff(yedges) * diff(xedges)') .* counts) : 1.0
     if norm_denom == 0
         norm_denom = 1.0
     end
@@ -477,13 +481,13 @@ end
 # otherwise, just use a histogram
 if is_installed("KernelDensity")
     @eval import KernelDensity
-    @eval function violin_coords(y)
-        kd = KernelDensity.kde(y, npoints = 30)
+    @eval function violin_coords(y, bins = 30)
+        kd = KernelDensity.kde(y, npoints = isa(bins, Integer) ? bins : 30)
         kd.density, kd.x
     end
 else
-    @eval function violin_coords(y)
-        edges, widths = hist(y, 20)
+    @eval function violin_coords(y, bins = 30)
+        edges, widths = hist(y, isa(bins, Integer) ? bins : 30)
         centers = 0.5 * (edges[1:end-1] + edges[2:end])
         ymin, ymax = extrema(y)
         vcat(0.0, widths, 0.0), vcat(ymin, centers, ymax)
@@ -526,6 +530,21 @@ end
     # KW[d]
 end
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# density
+
+@recipe function f(::Type{Val{:density}}, x, y, z)
+    newx, newy = violin_coords(y, d[:bins])
+    if isvertical(d)
+        newx, newy = newy, newx
+    end
+    d[:x], d[:y] = newx, newy
+    seriestype := :path
+    ()
+end
+
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Error Bars