Artist Christina Lihan's Paper Architecture Is Mind-Blowing

Christina Lihan builds houses and buildings -- but not with plywood and heavy machinery. She's done the skyscrapers of the New York City skyline, the domed basilicas of Italy and the beachside McMansions of Florida. Her material of choice? 

With painstaking precision, Lihan, an artist based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., makes architectural reliefs of cities, famous landmarks and private homes by cutting, folding and carving heavy-duty watercolor paper into three-dimensional masterpieces. Her replicas of the Brooklyn Bridge, downtown Charlotte, N.C., and the Taj Mahal, among others, are nearly as detailed and precise as the actual buildings themselves. Lihan "houses" her works -- which range from 2 to 6 inches deep -- in shadow boxes that can be hung on a wall.

She starts by making charcoal sketches of her subjects, then enlarging them and cutting them into paper art. She's turned her art into quite a business as well. Lihan told AOL Real Estate that she often works with Realtors who sell luxury properties across the country, making replicas of those homes that the Realtors then give to their clients. She said that she sells these smaller, 16-by-20-inch replicas for less than $1,000.

You can see more of Lihan's work on her website and in the gallery below. (All photos are courtesy of Christina Lihan.)