About the lamination. The first pen I made with a diagonal stripe, I used veneer. It was too thin, so I laminated 3 plys of veneer, two dark with a light in the middle. Worked out fine.
When I turn slimlines and other small diameter pens, I usually cut the blank down to 5/8" in the bandsaw. This leaves me with a couple thin pieces of wood that I can use later for stripes. I just put these thin pieces in a box for later use.