But if we choose to focus only on paint attributes, then the generic pigment color and the manufactured pigment particle size (and particle size distribution), and the pigment load or concentration of pigment in the paint, have the largest impact on the finished paint color. In many watercolor paints, smaller pigment particles tend to be less saturated and lighter valued than the larger particles. These duller, paler and smaller particles also remain in liquid suspension longer than the more intense, darker and heavier particles, which sink first to the paper surface and into the paper crevices. In very thick applications, the lighter particles form a thin sediment on top, adding a "white" component of scattered light and obscuring the brighter color underneath.