A few weeks back, we wrote an article here about using masking tape to create realistic window blinds, so you are probably going to think with this article that we have some sort of infatuation with this stuff. Really we don’t! However… We do have another great tip that uses masking tape. An excellent tar paper or shingled roof! 
If you have built model structures, you undoubtedly have added a tar paper or shingled roof. You also undoubtedly have cut paper strips and coated the back with white glue, or put contact cement or some adhesive on your roof and then laid the paper on top. Both methods can quickly become a mess on both your fingers and the structure if you are not extremely careful. Right? Maybe you have used the 3M transfer tape method. Two side adhesive that you can transfer from the tape to a roof or the tar paper/shingles themselves. It works awesome, and we use the tape extensively. But the stuff is expensive at $15 to $25 roll for 1 inch by 65 yards per roll. We save ours for signage which is in our opinion is unmatched in a method to apply signs. 
But for the roof? Masking tape already has the adhesive on it, it can be placed down and lifted for adjustments in the intials steps. If you use 3/4 inch, you have a pretty accurate width of a roll of tar paper. It is easy to cut pieces to fit as well. You can overlap the sheets slightly and not have to worry about edges flipping up or showing their underside like sometimes happens with the paper and glue methods. It can be painted after applied in any shade flat acrylic or enamel paint and you can’t tell the difference from the other procedures. You can also create shingle strips with it quickly by making small cuts with the hobby knife.
Simply rip off a strip of the masking tape and apply it to the roof of your structure. Leave a little over hang of about a quarter inch on both edges of the roof. You can over lap strips as you go or butt them up against each other. But always start at the bottom. Need a thinner strip? Just place a very long strip on your cutting mat and using a metal straight edge and hobby knife cut the exact width you desire and then just lift it up and put it on the model’s roof. After you cover the roof, just cut the overhang off with a pair of nippers or scissors.
The only thing you must do with masking tape is paint it. The outside of masking tape has a bit of a sheen to it, so leaving it as is in a sort of light brown or beige shingle, will give an unattractive and unnatural look. But if you choose to leave it that color, just zap it with a little dull-coat. We choose to paint ours and any flat acrylic or enamel by any brand will give it a realistic effect. You may have to give two coats or airbrush it. Would we use masking tape for all structure? Absolutely not! We love to change things up regularly and even explore other materials to work with. Some do and some don’t. But this is definitely an attractive realistic effect that will also save you a good deal of mess with glues and save you time! Experiment with it! Give it a try! If it ends up looking like poop, you can easily and effortlessly remove it without any damage to the structure and try something else. So it’s a no lose situation. Don’t get hosed buying the expensive pre-stick shingle strips……..MAKE YOUR OWN! 
