I had this quarter inch piece of wood that I've been using unstained. When I saw your wood project I thought I could do something similar using this wood. I stained the board then taped it off for the lines. I decided not to finish it with a polyurethane because I did not want it to shine.

My black background is foam core with white chalk. I rubbed the chalk onto the foam core then gently wiped it off. I tried doing this several times but I was not getting any depth. I then used some Pledge furniture polish. I lightly sprayed the board and let it slightly dry. I rubbed chalk over the board again and wiped it off. I did several layers until I got something I liked. I sprayed a light coat of clear acrylic over the whole board.

The foam core board did curl, but after sitting under a heavy box overnight it was straight again.

The board looks different in the final picture because of the lighting.