The seeds are left after the bloom dies. I just take and collect the seeds and reseed where I want them. Easy as pie, really.

Lucia

Your location is right. The pod will become papery and when you look inside it you will see the seeds in a type of 'shrimp ring' and are dark. There is a FAQ hollyhock seed collecting in the FAQ section of seed saving :) I love these flowers too!

You can peel back a section of the pod. If the seeds are still white, it is too soon to pick them. Wait until the seeds are black and separate easily from the center.