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I decided to grow some Painted Mountain Corn, tempted by pictures of beautifully varied corn cobs. My plants are many different sizes and the cobs also greatly vary in size, my question is how do I know when they are ready?
I want to dry all the cobs and save the seeds, does that mean its better to leave them on the plants or?

this is the way i do it, if your not going to eat them leave them on the plant until the plant starts to die back then remove the cob and store in a dry place to become fully dry, then strip the corn off and wait till its time to plant.
If you are going to eat them when the tassels start to turn brown strip a bit of the outer leaves back until the corn can be seen then pop one with you finger if the juice is milky its not ready if its clear its ready.

If your hands are sensitive enough you can run them up and down the cobs each day until you can feel the corn as firm hard individuals.

Alternatively, gently tear back a tiny part at the very tip. If the corn is creamy white, re-cover.

If you feel and look on a daily basis on on one cob, you will then 'know' for the future.

You can usually tell when the Field mice are eating it its ready  ;D

Ditto the deer.  When the cob disappears you know you should have picked it yesterday. 

The entire plant will go dry and then get blown over in the wind and if it was not eaten standing up it surely will get eaten lying down.

For the best seeds, ideally leave them on the cobs till the plant is dead and withered if you can, when you feel you can't leave them any longer  for whatever reason pull the whole plant and  hang them inside somewhere to dry, let the cobs continue to dry out on the stalks. Much later than now. take the cobs off, the seeds should  be dried and shrunken you can still leave them on the cobs but if you are satisfied that they are dry, remove the seeds put in a box with packet of silica to thoroughly dry them. Really dry when you can't bend them or dent them with a nail etc. Don't take the seeds off the cobs until you really really have to, you will get more good strong seeds this way.

XX Jeannine

Ditto squirrels and rats.  :( :( :(