Calligraphy Student Spotlight: Fahad Sohail

My name is Fahad Sohail. I am 41 years old and live in Melbourne, Australia. I currently work in IT for the Victorian Convention and Event Trust.

I have been practicing calligraphy off and on since February 2017.

I had a family friend in Pakistan who practiced calligraphy, but I always assumed it was something she’d simply picked up at school while living overseas. When I moved to Melbourne in 2016 and suddenly found my weekends free—my wife had started working at a local market—I decided I needed something creative to fill the time.

A quick Google search led me to the calligraphy classes run by Maria Montes. I remember booking just the first session as a “taste test,” fully expecting that I’d lose interest. But by the end of that three‑hour class, I was completely hooked and signed up for the entire course.



What drew me in was the simple joy of creating something tangible with my hands.

I would say a beginner for some scripts and intermediate in others. I definitely don't consider myself advanced in any.

I’ve taken both in‑person courses and watched a number of online tutorials. While online videos can be helpful, I definitely prefer learning in person—and I always recommend it for beginners. A teacher can correct your posture, show you the proper way to hold the pen, and help you fix mistakes in real time, which simply isn’t possible with an online class.

My calligraphy teacher, Maria Montes, has been my biggest inspiration. She has supported me from the very beginning and was the one who encouraged me to pursue calligraphy more seriously. She’s always been available with guidance, advice, and encouragement whenever I needed it.

Beyond Maria, I’m also deeply inspired by Younghae Chung of logos_calligraphy for her beautifully flourished Copperplate, and Sachin Shah of sachinspiration for his Blackletter work.

Get yourself an in-person workshop with an experienced teacher. That one class will save you lots of frustration of trying to learn on your own as well as fix any mistakes early on before they become habits. An in-person workshop also in turn helps you follow online courses/videos better and get more out of them.

Copperplate and Fraktur. Copperplate was my nemesis when I started it so the perfectionist in me got fixated on getting it "right". Through the pain and torture of it all I have now completely fallen in love with it. It's the most commercially used script so a good one to have in your artistic arsenal.

Fraktur/Blackletter appealed to the engineer in me due its sharp regimented lines and its structural precision. It’s bold, dramatic, and has a presence that commands attention. It also complements Copperplate beautifully, creating a striking contrast when the two are used together.

My practice was 100% analogue before kids but now I use Procreate more often than I would like as its convenient and kid-proof (no chances of any ink spills or torn papers afterwards :D).



I do think that practicing in Procreate gives you a false sense of security though and whilst you might think that digital practice will translate just as well to paper when the time comes - it doesn't. Procreate can mask/fix mistakes depending on the settings but analogue is not that forgiving.

I see calligraphy as a side hustle along with my full-time job

I do take on client work, although I’ll admit I haven’t been proactive about pursuing it—most of the projects I’ve done have come through referrals. I genuinely enjoy working with clients, but I find the business side of things, especially pricing, to be quite challenging and something I struggle with each time. That said, my experiences so far have been overwhelmingly positive, and I’ve been very fortunate with the clients I’ve had.

My full arm movements need reinforcement as I feel I still write with a locked wrist and arm posture.

Moving the paper as I write rather than moving the hand is something I struggle with still. Old habits really do die hard!

Using professional supplies and not just practice grade supplies made a huge difference in my practice

The truth is that my practice is really erratic at the moment due to young kids. Essentially, now whenever I have a commission, I will spend time practicing what it is that I have to write rather than a general practice or warm-ups.

Looking back at previous work and seeing the improvements through practice and experience even if the current progress is slow

I always want to focus on the negative space in the letterforms and spacing.

I feel most confident when I have been practicing consistently. I have always doubted myself when I have picked up the pen after a long time and have not been practiced for a while.

Postive feedback obviously helps in validating all the hours put into practice especially when it comes from people who know the craft. It gives you more energy to continue the artistic journey.

I find feedback from my teacher or people who are calligraphers as the most useful.

Yes I do or did :D; I post anything creative I do on my instagram account @fahadscripts.

My goal is to further develop my Arabic letter practice, combine it with my Latin script work, and devote more time to the business side through brand collaborations that merge the two.

@fahadscripts