Before using a scalpel, check to make sure the blade isn't bent, chipped, or broken. Don't use a damaged scalpel. There are various scalpel grips you may have seen on medical shows or if you've worked in a medical or veterinary setting. The grip we recommend for dissections at home is the pencil grip. Hold the scalpel as you would hold a pencil.
Grip fairly close to the blade so you will have good control over the incision. Remember to always cut away from yourself. So, if you are using one hand to steady the specimen while making the incision with the other, cut away from your hand, not toward it.