I like the colors of the blank in the second picture, and I think the barrel shape on both is excellent.
I made a pen with a blank similar to your first picture. I think the blank was called "candy coated" or something like that; my wife picked it out because she liked it and wanted a pen from it. I back-painted the blank white before gluing in the tube to avoid the brass tube affecting the appearance of the finished pen.
The brass color coming through the white (assuming it's white) in your pen coordinates with the gold plating, but if you use a different plating (e.g., chrome) and the same blank, consider back-painting the blank white.