После дождя мелки намокли, поэтому рисунок получился не таким ярким.

После means after, and it requires the genitive case.

So:

• дождь = rain
• после дождя = after the rain

This is a very common pattern in Russian:

• после урока = after the lesson
• после работы = after work
• после фильма = after the movie

So the form дождя is simply the genitive singular of дождь.

Мелки is the plural of мелок.

In this sentence, мелки most naturally means crayons or sticks of chalk, depending on context. Since the sentence talks about a drawing becoming less bright after they got wet, crayons is often the most natural English translation.

Forms:

• мелок = one crayon / one piece of chalk
• мелки = crayons / pieces of chalk

So мелки намокли means the crayons got wet.

Намокли is the past tense plural form of намокнуть, which means to get wet or to become wet.

Why plural? Because the subject is мелки, which is plural.

So:

• мелок намок = the crayon got wet
• мелки намокли = the crayons got wet

This is a perfective verb, so it presents the getting-wet as a completed result: they ended up wet.

Because the sentence has two parts:

1. После дождя мелки намокли
2. поэтому рисунок получился не таким ярким

Поэтому means therefore / so / that's why, and it connects the second clause to the first as a result.

In writing, Russian normally puts a comma before поэтому in this kind of structure.

So the logic is:

• the crayons got wet,
• therefore the drawing turned out less bright.

Поэтому means therefore, so, for that reason, or that’s why.

It introduces a consequence:

• Он устал, поэтому ушёл домой. = He was tired, so he went home.
• Шёл дождь, поэтому мы остались дома. = It was raining, so we stayed home.

In your sentence, it shows that the second part is the result of the first one.

Получиться often means to turn out, to come out, or to end up being.

So:

• рисунок был не таким ярким = the drawing was not so bright
• рисунок получился не таким ярким = the drawing turned out not so bright / came out less bright

The verb получиться is very common when talking about a result, especially with things like:

• drawings
• photos
• food
• plans
• attempts

Examples:

• Фотография получилась хорошей. = The photo turned out well.
• Суп получился вкусным. = The soup turned out tasty.

So here получился emphasizes the final result of making the drawing.

Таким ярким is in the instrumental case.

After verbs like быть, стать, оказаться, and often получиться, Russian can use the instrumental for the description of what something is or turned out to be.

Here:

• рисунок = masculine singular
• таким = instrumental masculine/neuter singular of такой
• ярким = instrumental masculine/neuter singular of яркий

So:

• получился ярким = turned out bright
• получился не таким ярким = turned out not as bright / not so bright

Не таким ярким means not as bright, not that bright, or not so bright.

It suggests some kind of comparison, often implied rather than stated. For example:

• not as bright as expected
• not as bright as before
• not as bright as it could have been

If you said не ярким, that would mean simply not bright, which is a stronger and more absolute statement.

So:

• не ярким = not bright
• не таким ярким = not as bright / less bright

This makes the sentence sound more natural and nuanced.

Because the two verbs have different subjects.

• мелки намокли
  Subject: мелки = plural
  Verb: намокли = plural past

• рисунок получился
  Subject: рисунок = singular masculine
  Verb: получился = singular masculine past

Russian past tense agrees with the subject in number, and in the singular also in gender.

Yes, but the meaning changes a little.

• после дождя = after the rain
  This focuses on time: the crayons got wet after it rained.

• из-за дождя = because of the rain
  This focuses more directly on cause.

So:

• После дождя мелки намокли = After the rain, the crayons got wet.
• Из-за дождя мелки намокли = Because of the rain, the crayons got wet.

Both can make sense, but the original sentence first gives the situation in time, then the result.

Usually drawing is best here.

Рисунок can mean:

• a drawing
• a sketch
• a picture
• a design/pattern, depending on context

In this sentence, since we are talking about мелки, it most likely means a drawing made with crayons.

So drawing is the most natural choice in English.

Russian often prefers a very compact cause-and-result structure:

• statement of cause
• поэтому
• statement of result

So instead of repeating something like because the crayons were wet, the drawing was dull, Russian naturally says:

• мелки намокли, поэтому рисунок получился...

This is concise and very idiomatic.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

The original:

• После дождя мелки намокли, поэтому рисунок получился не таким ярким.

Possible variations:

• Мелки намокли после дождя, поэтому рисунок получился не таким ярким.
• Рисунок получился не таким ярким, потому что после дождя мелки намокли.

These all make sense, but the original word order is smooth and natural: it first sets the scene, then gives the cause, then the result.