Tales of a Third Grade Classroom: Videochat with Miss Melanie, aaand POSTCARDS! #fanmail

Well, hello there!

It looks like it's been a busy summer for everyone, and boy has it been HOT! But before the summer heat came to get us, I did a video chat with Mr. H's class of 2013!

Last year I had been able to visit Mr. H and his classroom, but this year I couldn't make the trip. I was sad that I couldn't meet the kids in person, but our video chat turned out really well! In fact, it was a lot of fun! The kids all asked some great questions, and they got a chance to see some of the art I created when I was in third grade, (like a million years ago). On top of that, they even got a tour of my at-home studio!

I was even able to record the whole thing, except for the SOUND! So I have it all on video, but everyone will have to read our lips to figure out what we're saying. Technology can be such a blessing and a curse, I tell you! I am going to try my best to figure out how to do it right for the next video chat we do.

Here are some snapshots from the chat! :D

Hello, class! Nice to meet you!

Showing off some original artwork from Little Raindrop's book!

This is what my drawing looked like in grade school!

Having a good time!

Bye, everyone! See you around! :)

I didn't even get to tell you the best part- later on that week, I found a giant envelope covered in raindrops... Mr. H's students all wrote me postcard letters!

Look at all these awesome letters! I can't wait to read them all!

For the privacy of the students, I have erased everyone's last names. But I'm pretty sure you all can recognize your own handwriting! :) Also, PLEASE email me if I accidentally missed somebody or mixed up anyone's pictures with their letters, and I can fix it right away! (Some of my files got a little mixed up.)

Thanks, Alexandra! It looks like you've already got your drawing skills down! And how did you know we would have some old granny and grandpa raindrops to come in the future? :)

Hi, Heather! Sorry, I didn't know you had been waiting for a link! But you can still email me your photos if you'd like, and I can help Little Raindrop put them here on the blog! (MLCillustration@yahoo.com). It was really nice seeing you!

Thank you, Abigail! You are REALLY good at drawing horses! I have always thought they were the hardest kinds of animals to draw. I think that's pretty awesome of you!

Hi, Max! I like looking at your drawings, too! Well, don't you worry about our little Dare Devil Drop- he's going to play a BIG part in Book 2, which is ALL about water, too!

Hi, Andres! So YOU'RE the one with that excellent mustache shirt! Haha, I thought it was pretty funny! To answer your question, I somehow always knew in my heart I wanted to be an artist. I said so when I was in First Grade!

Thank you, Ethan! It's cool that you like to draw snakes! I think snakes are just a little big scary, especially the BIG ones! I really like the way you drew all those raindrops! Thanks for video chatting with me!

Thank you SO much, Tommy! Yes, Disney World has roller coasters, so it is very fun. I really wish I can go on a Disney Cruise one day! I LOVE the Harry Potter books, too! Those are my favorite books, and I have a few favorite movies. They are: "Lilo and Stitch," "Tangled" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". I might look like an adult, but I'm just a kid at heart!

Hi, Max! Yep, Little Raindrop has a mommy! And there IS an owl in the first book! He is on page 24 of the story so far. That is a very good idea to have a bald eagle in the next book. We will have to see where he will fit in! Thanks for your help! :)

Thank you, Ethan! I agree- colors are pretty but drawing in black and white can be really cool. I used to love drawing mountains when I was your age! My very first oil painting was a mountain scene, and my dad let me use his very expensive paints to paint it!

Hi, Paul! I am so glad you learned some new stuff about book making! I still am learning new things every day, believe it or not! I got the idea of how to draw the character from drawing a lot of sketches in my sketchbook. I knew that I like drawing round and chubby things, so I started there!

Hi, Chloe! Thank you so much! I liked talking with everybody, too! Your drawing came out really nice- I like how you filled up the whole square with rain drops!

Hi, Amelia! Your cat Cosmo is SO CUTE! I love Bengals! My mom and stepdad have a Bengal and his name is Sparky. He is a really crazy but beautiful cat. That's so cool that you drew a dragon! Dragons are so much fun to draw!

Hi, Sara! Wow, I can tell you like to draw a lot! I love the little doormat you drew, it's so cute! I used to make little books for my family, too! I would take my grandma's note pads and fill them up with little pictures and staple them together like a book. She still has some of them even today!

Thank you, Andrea! My favorite books to take out of the library used to be "How to Draw" books! I have a whole bunch of them in my collection now, and they really helped me learn how to draw better. Your picture came out beautifully, and I love the little blue owl in the tree!

Hi, Alina! Thank you so much! I LOVE that you love owls, too! I just got a new owl book and it has loads of photographs of all different types of owls and it's AMAZING. I really like your drawing, and how you put little raindrops in the corners of the page. So cute!

Thank you, Caroline! It was lots of fun chatting with you all! Little Raindrop's book is my first book ever, so I don't have any other books. But I have written a LOT of stories that I want to have published one day! A book like Little Raindrop's takes a very long time- so far it has taken us a few years! Picture books can be made in as quick as a few months, but that's if you're lucky!

Thank you, Eliana! I really like your drawing, too! I like how you used two different blues in the waves. Sometimes I even surprise myself, I don't always know how I do it! I just look down, and suddenly I have a really cool drawing all done! I guess it takes just the right music, with just the right amount of chocolate! ;)

Hi, Owen! Wow, your bald eagle is excellent! You should be really proud- I am very impressed! Yes, Mr. H and I tested the video chat program before we tried it in class. Mr. H and I are both learning new ways to get in touch on the computer, because we live so far away from each other! The best part, though, is getting to meet all of you kids! :)

Hi, Sophia! Thank you so much! Yes, I am glad, too, that Mr. H found my art online! I don't know where I would be if I didn't have Little Raindrop in my life. And getting to know such talented kids like YOU sure is a blessing! I love your picture of Little Raindrop and his parents! Keep on drawing every day, and keep a sketchbook, and before you know it, you will be an artist!

Thank you, Rebecca! That is SO COOL that you are going to Art Camp! I wish I had gone to Art Camp when I was a kid! I once spent a summer at the YMCA camp, and my favorite things to do there were all the crafts, tie-dye t-shirts, and the archery lessons! I liked spending time in the woods and walking along the dirt paths. But I did NOT like all the sports we had to play, haha! Great job on Crabby Cumulonimbus, by the way!

Hi, Sami! I have to say, your drawing made me laugh so hard! It is so cute and funny! I like the Redwall books, too! I haven't read them all yet, but I want to. I have never heard of Secret Zoo books, though. I think if you like them, I might too! I will check them out!

Hi, Regebe! No, I did not know there was an owl in Mr. H's play! That's really cool! I will have to ask him about it the next time we talk. It was really great chatting with everyone. I sure hope to visit next year! I really want to have LOTS  more to show you kids, so we will have to just wait and see what happens I guess! Thanks so much! :)

This drawing is SO funny! I love it!

Aren't they wonderful? I want to thank each and every student for all the hard work they put into these post cards! You kids did an amazing job, and I will keep them forever! Thank you sooooo much!

Getting fan mail from kids is the very best part of my job, because it reminds me why I am working so hard to help make this book the best book I possibly can... because of YOU! You might feel small sometimes, and that we adults don't listen or pay attention... but the truth is, YOU are the future! So you're very important people! This is why we need to protect nature and our fresh water, so kids like you can enjoy it for generations to come.

This was a looong post! Thanks for sticking around and reading up to this point! Mr. H, Little Raindrop, and I sure appreciate all our supporters. Thank you for all you do!

Ta ta for now!
~Miss Melanie